WASHINGTON - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposes foreign assistance including defense assistance to Israel, has joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Unlike his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a perennial presidential contender who has laced his arguments against assistance for Israel with harsh criticisms of the Jewish state, the younger Paul casts his opposition to assistance as a matter of independence for Israel from undue American influence.The National Jewish Democratic Council on Friday slammed the Senate GOP leadership for giving "a bigger microphone and a prominent platform to someone who has repeatedly called for an end to US aid to Israel."
The Foreign Relations Committee sets the Senate's foreign policy agenda, although the primary voice on foreign assistance remains the Senate's Appropriations Committee.
