In a previous article we reported that former US President Barack Obama quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Congress had been blocking. This was done in his last few hours in office. See article : http://www.hidabroot.com/article/192612/Obama-Remembers-his-True-Friends-in-Final-Presidential-Act
In the article we wrote: “A State Department official and several congressional aides said Obama’s administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning. So the money is spent and the congressional hold is null and void.”
This past Tuesday, Congresswoman Kay Granger of Texas that originally blocked the release of the funds stated: “I am deeply disappointed that President Obama defied congressional oversight and released $221 million to the Palestinian territories.”
She also added: “I worked to make sure that no American taxpayer dollars would fund the Palestinian Authority unless very strict conditions were met. While none of these funds will go to the Palestinian Authority because of those conditions, they will go to programs in the Palestinian territories that were still under review by Congress. The Obama Administration’s decision to release these funds was inappropriate.”
We believed that the money was retrievable but it seems perhaps it actually is. This is because the Trump administration announced it is freezing the move. Trump ordered the State Department to review the last-minute decision by former Secretary of State John Kerry to send $221 million dollars to the Palestinians late last week.
During Tuesday’s press briefing, when a reporter asked about the transfer, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said: “[Trump] is very concerned about how taxpayer money is spent, whether it’s sent overseas and what we get for it in terms of the relationship or our support for a democracy or aid to another country for their defenses. But he’s going to be examining all aspects of the budget… He’s going to make sure that every deal, every dollar that is spent by the government is done in a way that respects the American taxpayer.”
This fiscal and moral responsibility is a breath of fresh air and something we’ve waited 8 years for.
