Haley pointed out that despite being home to a dozen terrorist organisations, the Biden administration resumed military aid to Pakistan.
International
oi-Prakash KL
Indian-American Nikki Haley, the Republican leader who has pitted herself as the US presidential hopeful, has been garnering a lot of media attention through her bold, yet sensible comments.
Haley has hit the headlines especially through her critical remarks against Pakistan and China. 51-year-old Haley formally launched her 2024 presidential bid last month, casting herself as a younger and fresher alternative to the 20th century politicians like her one-time boss and former President Donald Trump.
Haley targets Pak, China
At the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, the Indian-American politician asserted that the US should not give aid to countries that hated it. “Never in my life did I think Americans would look at the sky and see a Chinese spy balloon looking back at them. It was a national embarrassment,” she said on Friday, referring to the recent spy balloon incident.
Will be that President: Nikki Haley’s stern warning to ‘bad guys’ Pakistan, China
The balloon, which Beijing denies was a government spy vessel, spent a week flying over the US and Canada before being shot down by the US Air Force off the Atlantic Coast last month. “Make no mistake. Communist China is the strongest and most disciplined enemy we have ever faced. We need to hold China accountable. Let us start with Covid,” she said.
‘Will cut every cent going to Pak, China’
Last week, Haley vowed to cut every cent in foreign aid for countries like China, Pakistan and Iraq if voted to power. She said, “I will cut every cent in foreign aid for countries that hate us. A strong America doesn’t pay off the bad guys. A proud America doesn’t waste our people’s hard-earned money. And the only leaders who deserve our trust are those who stand up to our enemies and stand beside our friends,” she wrote in an op-ed in the New York Post.
She wrote that America spent $46 billion on foreign aid last year, which is given to countries like China, Pakistan and Iraq. American taxpayers deserve to know where that money is going and what it’s doing, she added. “They will be shocked to find that much of it goes to fund anti-American countries and causes. As President, I’ll put a stop to this fiasco,” she claimed.
Similarly, in an interview with Fox News last Sunday, she reiterated her stand on cutting US foreign aid to countries who are friends and followers of Russia and China, the two adversaries of the US. “When I’m President, we will no longer give foreign aid to our enemies. We will stop that. (We) will start being smart, and will start being strong again,” Haley told the channel.
Haley also pointed out that despite being home to a dozen terrorist organisations, the Biden administration resumed military aid to Pakistan. She recalled her support, as a US Ambassador to the UN, to President Trump’s decision to cut nearly $2 billion of military aid to Pakistan because that country supported terrorists who kill American troops.
“It was a major victory for our troops, our taxpayers and our vital interests, but it didn’t go nearly far enough. We’ve still given them way too much in other aid. As president, I will block every penny,” she added.
She said the Biden administration restored half a billion dollars to “a corrupt UN agency” that’s supposed to help the Palestinian people but in fact covers for deeply anti-Semitic propaganda against its ally Israel. She added the US has given Iraq more than $1 billion over the last few years, even though its government is getting closer to Iran.
She rued the fact that American taxpayers still give money to “Communist China for ridiculous environment programmes, despite the obvious threat China poses to Americans.” “We give money to Belarus, which is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s closest ally. We even give money to Communist Cuba – a country our own government has designated as a State sponsor of terrorism,” she said, adding that it’s been happening for decades under Presidents of both parties.
“I am running for president to restore our nation’s strength, our national pride and our people’s trust. Backing American allies and friends like Israel and Ukraine is smart. Sending our tax dollars to enemies isn’t,” she added.
Nikki Haley, a trailblazer who proved political pundits wrong
“At the UN, I put together a book of how much money we give other countries and how often they vote with us. It was eye-opening. We are giving huge amounts of cash to countries that vote against us most of the time. That doesn’t make sense. I’ll stop it. America can’t buy our friends. We’ll certainly never buy off our enemies,” she added.
Less than a fortnight after entering the race to the White House, Haley is leading against President Joe Biden in a hypothetical match, according to the latest opinion poll on Friday. But she trails badly against leading GOP candidate Trump, Rasmussen Report said based on a survey it conducted between February 16 to 19. Among the Republicans, she comes at the third position after Trump (52 percent) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (24 percent).
Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa to immigrant Punjabi Sikh parents, Haley is the third Indian-American to run for the US presidency in three consecutive election cycles. Bobby Jindal ran in 2016 and Vice-President Kamala Harris in 2020.
With inputs from agencies
Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2023, 14:25 [IST]