U.S.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky voiced support for Israel but urged the U.S. to hold off on big financial aid.

In an appearance yesterday on the Clay and Buck radio show in New York City.

Here are some of Senator Paul's remarks.

Well, you know, we've had a long standing role with Israel, goes back, you know, 30, 50 years or more.

And I think that continues.

And I think when people start looking for things in the midst of a crisis, like what do we do?

What do we do?

Well, we've already done lots for decades.

And so I would venture to say that Israel's probably one of the most well-stocked munitions country in the world.

And I think they're adequately prepared for this.

But I don't think it's sort of like, oh, let's give them $20 billion or something that's give them $50 billion, because really it's about being smart about it.

And in the end, they're already comparing this to 911.

We were the best equipped military, the strongest soldiers, strongest army in the world, and we got attacked on 911.

So it's going to be figuring out the vulnerability of what happened.

People are already talking about where was the failure in intelligence.

And I know we share a lot of intelligence with the Israelis, all of those things of cooperation, I'm sure.

I just kind of hate it as much as I have nothing but the utmost sympathy of everybody says, what are we going to do?

What are we going to what can we give them?

Because we bankrupted our damn country?

And given it to everybody on the planet?

And it's not that I do have sympathy, I do.

And I want to help and I want to be helpful.

But I hope it's not just sort of let's open the spigots and just, you know, drain the coffers.

Senator Paul has been very critical of U.S. aid for Ukraine as it fights Russia.