Rep. Wolf Calls for Cuts to Tunisia Aid

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Following the recent release of Tunisian terror suspect Ali Harzi, U.S. Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) released a statement criticizing the Obama Administration’s financial aid to Tunisia. ”Last month, I asked the Obama Administration to cut off aid to Tunisia. I am very disappointed to learn that the State Department is once again ducking this issue and today refusing to comment on Harzi’s release.” Wolf explained his stance on Tunisian aid saying, “since 2011, the American government has given $320 million in taxpayer dollars to the Tunisian government and is being considered as a Millennium Challenge Corporation candidate country.  I find it morally wrong to support a country that has obstructed FBI efforts to bring these terrorists to justice.” Wolf’s initial calls to cancel Tunisian aid were ignored by the Obama Administration in December; he has now said that he will introduce legislation to further the idea.

Secretary of State Clinton explained U.S. aid to Tunisia in a March 2012 statement that followed a $100 million aid package saying, “As Tunisia progresses into the next phase of its historic democratic transition, the United States is working to help accelerate economic growth that benefits all, ensure that democracy delivers for the Tunisian people, and to help Tunisian businesses – large and small – become engines of job creation.”

After a recent Senate hearing on the Benghazi and Cairo attacks, Senator John Mccain (R-AZ) criticized fellow Republicans who suggested cutting aid to Libya and Egypt, saying, “Only someone who doesn’t understand anything about that part of the world would suggest such idiocy.”