He delivered a speech on the Senate floor decrying a plan to support moderate Syrian rebels. Paul makes case against foreign aid

Sen. Rand Paul on Friday used an appearance at a socially conservative gathering to make a case for Christians to oppose foreign aid to America’s adversaries.

The Kentucky Republican, a libertarian-leaning potential presidential candidate, was one of several possible 2016 candidates to appear at the Values Voter Summit, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).


“You and I must and should stand with our fellow Christians in the Middle East; around the world,” he said on Friday. “That does not necessarily mean war and it certainly doesn’t mean arming both sides in every conflict.”

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Paul recently delivered a lengthy speech on the Senate floor decrying a plan to support to moderate Syrian rebels in the broader battle against the Islamic State militant group, something that Congress ultimately authorized.

On Friday, he told the pro-Israel crowd that the Syrian rebels would soon set their sights on Israel’s Golan Heights, and he blasted the persecution Christians face in many corners of the Middle East.

He also noted his support for ending foreign aid to places like Pakistan and to the Palestinian Authority under current circumstances. Paul’s advisers have said that the senator would ultimately like to see an end to all foreign aid, including to Israel, but that he wants to focus first on places that pose a threat to America, rather than on allies.

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