National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Chairman, since 9/11, the United States has given Pakistan about $22 billion. That money has served only to embolden Pakistan's government to maintain the brutal repression of its own people and to continue its blatant support for terrorist attacks on its neighboring countries, as well as attacks on American troops in nearby Afghanistan.

My amendment would cut off all aid in this bill designated for Pakistan. It would end the charade that we are buying cooperation in the ongoing struggle against terrorist forces in South Asia. Pakistan isn't with us in a war against terrorism; they are at war with us.

Pakistan, at best, is a war profiteer, collecting a ransom by taxing our military supply lines that pass through their country, which, for the past 6 months, by the way, they have closed to resupplying our forces in Afghanistan. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Of course, the Pakistani people will never see any of that money.
The corruption in Pakistan itself is reason not to give aid to them, which they will then pilfer. Furthermore, they use their military power to butcher the Balochs and others who don't want to be under their corrupt thumb.

How can we forget this same Pakistani Government gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden after he led the conspiracy that slaughtered 3,000 Americans on 9/11? After our SEALs went in to get him, the Pakistani Government took the wreckage of our downed stealth helicopter and gave it for study to Communist China, whom they refer to as their ``all-weather friend.''

The Pakistani Government has gone so far as to arrest and imprison, without trial, Dr. Afridi, the doctor who helped us gather the intelligence that located Osama bin Laden in the nest that the Pakistani Government had provided him right there in Pakistan. The Pakistani Government threw him in jail and is talking about trying him for treason for the good deed that he helped us in bringing to justice the man who slaughtered 3,000 of our citizens. And we can continue to give money to these people, even as we ignore the suffering of Dr. Afridi, who is in prison now, languishing in prison? And all of us are forgetting this hero?

We have lost almost 2,000 Americans defending our country as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Most of those deaths were due to Pakistani-inspired and -supported insurgents.

How much more does the Pakistan Government have to do before we quit giving them our money? They are playing us like fools while murdering our soldiers. And, yes, we are acting like fools for giving them this money despite that. We should have quit bankrolling this rotten regime a long time ago. My amendment would do just that.

The Pakistan Government is a terrorist government that murders and even attacks its own people, such as in Balochistan. It is a pro-terrorist, radical Islamic clique that rules Pakistan. They don't deserve one penny from us to help them in their dirty deeds.

I would ask for support from my colleagues. Let's finally stand up. If we need an ally in that area, let's go to some people in that area that want to be our friends, perhaps the Indians.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROHRABACHER. I have here 13 pages of restrictions that we have had on Pakistan aid over the last few years, 13 pages of restrictions that have meant nothing.

During the time that we have been giving them billions of dollars with all

of these restrictions, they have been giving safe haven to Osama bin Laden, who massacred and slaughtered 3,000 Americans. How can we forget about that? How can we just go on and give these people money?

The people of Pakistan can be our friends. They are our friends. But we have to recognize that their government is a terrorist-supporting government and a radical Islamic-supporting government.

And we continue to give them money as they support insurgents that kill our people overseas. Is there any doubt about that? Admiral Mullen confirmed it for us.

Why are we ignoring that? We are acting like fools and we are acting like cowards. It is time for us to stand up for the American defenders who are over there putting their lives on the line and say, No. If we're going to give money to the people killing you, we're not going to do that, period. That's going over the line.

I would suggest to my colleagues to join me in defunding the enemy of the United States.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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As Mr. Rohrabacher mentioned earlier, certainly there is much that Pakistan does that causes us trouble. But they are a country that we need to work with if we're going to properly contain the al Qaeda and terrorist threat that comes from that region of the world. I think the gentleman from Virginia's amendment strikes that balance just right, and I urge this body to support it.

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