"It's crazy," Sen. Rick Scott balks at giving $100 million in aid to people of Gaza
MIAMI - In an address from the Oval Office on Thursday evening, President Joe Biden is expected to announce that the U.S. will provide $100 million in new funding for humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Speaking with CBS News Miami, Republican Senator Rick Scott said he was against it since the money will go to the Iran-backed Hamas terrorists.
"Hamas controls Gaza. Every dime that we send into Gaza goes to Hamas. You saw the terrorists with humanitarian first aid kits when they were out shooting and killing Americans and Israelis in Israel. This is crazy. Hamas is holding American citizens and Israelis hostage and we're going to give them money," he said.
The senator said we're going to give American taxpayer money to the Palestinian Authority that gives money to the family of the dead terrorists for killing Americans.
"If your child got killed, you're going to pay taxes so that your government can give, so the U.S. government can give that to the Palestinian Authority to give to the terrorist that killed your kid. That makes zero sense," he said.
"Does my heart go out to the people in Gaza? Absolutely. You know who is doing to them? Hamas. The Palestinian Authority. That's who is doing it to them," he added.
Scott pointed out that the U.S. has no way to monitor or control where the money goes after it is given. He said he introduced a bill on Wednesday that said the money should not go to Gaza unless the administration was sure it would not go to Hamas.
"All the President has to do is certify that the money is not going to Hamas. It's real simple. But they (Democrats) didn't want to do that," said Scott.
The senator said if the U.S. can't control where the money will go then the administration shouldn't be giving it to them.