Posted on 09/10/2017 12:33:21 PM PDT by SJackson
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is spearheading an effort to force Israel to give back $75 million in aid allocated by Congress last year, the Washington Free Beacon reported Friday.
The funds were awarded in defiance of the Obama Administration’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which increased military aid to Israel from around $3 to $3.8 billion for the next ten years, with several provisos, one of which was a commitment on Israel’s part not to seek additional military aid from Congress. The other, even more devastating, was an eventual block on the money going to Israeli companies, essentially keeping all the money in the US.
Now the Trump Administration may be going to war with Congress over honoring the Obama administration’s MOU, and forcing Israel to give back whatever funds it has received above the official military aid package.
According to a senior Congressional aide familiar with the situation who spoke to the Beacon, Republican Senator Tom Cotton (Ark.) has “strongly warned the State Department” last week “that such action would be unwise and invite unwanted conflict with Israel.”
The Beacon quotes a “veteran congressional advisor who works extensively on Israel” who said that “this is a transparent attempt by career staffers in the State Department to [expletive] with the Israelis and derail the efforts of Congressional Republicans and President Trump to rebuild the US-Israel relationship. There’s no reason to push for the Israelis to return the money, unless you’re trying to drive a wedge between Israel and Congress, which is exactly what this is. It won’t work.”
Back in 2016, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) slammed the MOU provision that limits Israel from seeking additional US funds except in times of war. He issued a statement saying, “Congress is not a party to this agreement nor is this agreement binding on future congresses. Congress has an independent duty to make a decision about the proper level of support for Israel or our other allies. To suggest this (agreement) will bind future presidents and congresses for the next decade is constitutionally flawed and impractical.”
According to David Ignatius, writing for Real Clear Politics, Secretary Tillerson has preserved a working relationship with President Trump, despite his public criticism of the President’s views on the Charlottesville riots. Tillerson clearly offers diplomatic skills Trump does not have, and for that the President is prepared to accept some disagreement over ideology.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, according to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his regret over awarding Tillerson the “Order of Friendship” in 2013. Speaking to an American participant at an economic forum in Vladivostock, Putin said, “We awarded your compatriot Mr. Tillerson the Order of Friendship, but he seems to have fallen in with the wrong company and to be steering in the other direction. […] I hope that the wind of cooperation, friendship and reciprocity will eventually put him on the right path.”
retrieve the $150 Million that Obama gave Iran first...
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Just when did the mohamedans war end?
It aint over till the black cube is radioactive vapor!
I’m going to admit that I am confused by this.
We’ll see how it shakes out.
America is still providing a lot of money to Israel, whether this couple of million is returned or not.
Hard to imagine this is an issue on the administration’s near term planning. Given the fact that unlike the freezing of Iran’s funding, this is congressionally authorized, not sure there’s much the administration can do. They can throw out the agreements Israel signed with Obama relative to future funding, and/or oppose funding in Congress. But I suspect what’s been legally paid can’t be changed. Of course the administration and simply ask Israel for the funds back, presuming they can help Israel void contracts signed with companies in the US>
We desperately need President Trump to DRAIN THE SWAMP and, alas, this now includes Tillerson.
The entire world is on the brink of multiple nuclear wars (Iran, North Korea...) and this loon is screwing around about a crummy $75m? And with an ally, no less?!
Better, Tillerson should immediately end all American taxpayer payments to Muslim terrorist murder gangsters like PLO -PA -Abbas ..!! (including arming and training them, damnit!), and also stop sending expensive modern weapons to other Muslim murder gangs like ISIS and Hezbellah (through intermediaries but nevertheless the whole world sees and knows what Obama was doing...and it reportedly has NOT been terminated yet under President Trump).
Dear President Trump, tell your aides there to stop screwing around with chickenbleep.....END all American funding and arming and training of the Muslim murderers....and DRAIN the Snake Department IslamoNazi swamp! Then, get rid of all the Obama islamic enemy plants moles spies and agents in other important branches of “our” government like Defense, Intelligence and security agencies for starters. Thank you President Trump!
Don't be. Tillerson doesn't like Israel. He makes a proposal which is clearly beyond the scope of the State Department's powers, and announces it to the press. It has the advantage of possibly damaging Israel in the public mind, and bringing into question the friendliness of the administration toward Israel. Good for Tillerson's aims, imo not so for Trump. The last thing he needs is a losing battle with Congress over something trivial like this.
Of course Tillerson is President Trumps swamp resident.
This is one time I agree with what is a seemingly anti-Israel move. In truth, it isn't.
The funds were awarded in defiance of the Obama Administration’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which increased military aid to Israel from around $3 to $3.8 billion for the next ten years, with several provisos, one of which was a commitment on Israel’s part not to seek additional military aid from Congress. The other, even more devastating, was an eventual block on the money going to Israeli companies, essentially keeping all the money in the US.
If we raised the military aid to Israel by $800 million dollars, it seems to me it was reasoned to ask Israel to refrain from taking other funds.
Taking back the $75 million is reasoned in this instance.
It should not have been given in the first place, and Congress knows it.
Retrieve that too. No doubt about the need for that.
Wasn’t that with a (B) though.
Perhaps we’re not talking about the same funds.
Exactly!!
I don’t get it either.
Can someone explain if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I’m not a fan of Tillerson.
There’ve been a couple of issues prior to this made me do a double-take about Tillerson. I’m heading in the direction of not liking this guy.
Tillerson is doing the legwork for the Saudis, the anti-American globalists and State Department Deep Staters. He is NOT a friend of Trump and will continue to do what he can to undermine the Trump agenda.
It’s a stupid argument. Congress authorized the $75 million. Period. For the administration to request the return of funds voted by Congress will be a battle. Congress authorizes spending, not the administration, certainly not the State Department. Other than when authorized by Congress of course. Which was not the case here. There were a lot of negatives in the MOU, which is a memo not authorized by Congress. Clearly the administration can back out of the terms of the MOU, any and all. That will be the next charge. Particularly in the absence of the State Department releasing Israel from any of the other terms. A stupid argument to engage in at this point in time. With vital issues Trump needs to attempt to guide through Congress. From healthcare legislation to tax cuts to immigration reform. And the administration goes against Congress on this? Not to mention the political ramifications. Not with Jewish voters, they’ve largely written him off, but with Evangelicals.
BTW, I'm open to correction but I believe the $75 million in question is the "raise", of $800 million over 10 years, only the first year authorized by Congress. Taking back the $75 million is reasonable if we abrogate the balance of the agreement as well. My guess, the administration will take what will be a small political hit and eventually renegotiate.
Trump promised to be fiscally Conservative.
Along those lines, he has directed this action be taken. It’s not misguided at all.
Here he is trying to get the return of $75,000,000.00 of our tax dollars, as per the agreement that gave Israel an increase of $800,000,000.00 of our tax dollars last year, for a total of $3,800,000,000.00 dollars.
Our Leftist Congress should never have agreed to do this.
Folks, we hired the guy to be fiscally Conservative. That’s what he’s doing here. If we don’t really want someone who is fiscally Conservative, we shouldn’t vote for them. I do, and I did vote for him.
Just because we support Israel, it doesn’t mean we should violate deals that have already improved it’s lot considerably.
I don't disagree, but he is Trump's man, friend or not
If as you say it’s the first installment, then of course it’s ridiculous to ask for it back.
If this was a misunderstanding along those lines, then I’d agree with you.
If it’s an additional amount, then no.
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