U.S. Senate votes down bill to withdraw troops from Niger (86-11!)

Reuters ^ | Oct 26 | By Patricia Zengerle

[RandFan]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected legislation that would have forced President Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. troops from Niger, a West African nation where military officers seized power in July.

The measure was rejected by 86-11.

The United States formally declared this month that there had been a military coup d'etat in Niger, which results in officially suspending assistance, but U.S. officials said there were no plans to change the U.S. troop presence in the country.

Republican Senator Rand Paul, who sponsored the legislation, argued that the troops were improperly deployed without congressional approval and said Americans should not be at risk of getting caught in the crossfire of a conflict in Niger.

"With the Middle East on fire, what sense does it make to have over 1,000 troops in Niger? Does it make sense to station over 1,000 troops in a country ruled by a military junta?" Paul said in a Senate speech.

[RandFan]

Nice to see the senators have their priorities right LOL!

[lee martell]

Niger? Please!

[pepsionice]

There is no logical reason to be there. The coup business was a reaction to political bickering going on, and potential for a civil war to erupt. If you look at the landscape....just odd (for the thousandth time)...US and EU strategy directly oppose each other. That’s usually an indicator that both wrong.

[RandFan]

The most ridiculous thing is under the law (passed by that Senate) a military coup means the US has to stop or withdraw support for the government

Rand is exposing blatant hypocrisy and law breaking by the Senate/politicians. Interesting I thought.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

We don't call it Niger anymore. The correct name is Africa-America.

[RandFan]

Don’t you find it funny how the Senate are ignoring the law here

There was a military coup and now a junta in place while U.S. law says they must stop support if this happens.

The Senate are full of hypocrites

[Governor Dinwiddie]

We have a weak neutered judiciary. The Supreme Court was castrated a long time ago.
It moves at a glacial crawl, clueless and unable to keep pace with the toxic Deep State
subsuming America. Laws have no meaning anymore, and are only enforced on the
little people.

[frank ballenger]

Next “If we can spare a few billion dollars for Ukraine we can help these persons of color.”

US Agency For International Development website:
“USAID is providing emergency humanitarian assistance to Niger with activities designed to support agriculture, livelihoods, food security, health, WASH, and nutrition. This life-saving assistance supports people’s recovery from food insecurity while reinforcing their capacity to cope with future emergencies.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

One need only ask "Which outcome of the Senate vote would the arms dealers
and military industrial Deep State prefer?". And that will tell you the outcome
of any Senate vote.

[AZJeep]

Weird?!
What are our men doing there anyway?
If they oppose the coup, maybe they should restore the former president?
Or get out?!
Sitting in the country, run by government, we do not like seems really off!

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected legislation that would have forced President Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. troops from Niger

What percentage of US taxpayers were even aware that the US had troops stationed in Niger? What percentage of military families are aware that their loved ones in uniform may be sent to Niger?

Our government and military are completely out of control. They don't care what we think, and they certainly don't want us to know what they are doing with our tax dollars.

[RandFan]

They’re spinning a lot of plates... I can’t keep up with it

[1of10]

” Africa-America”

that’s a good one ......

[fieldmarshaldj]

I loved it when they showed a bunch of rioting Sub-Saharan Africans in France on a local tv newscast and they were called “African-Americans.”

[MachIV]

Agreed. Those in power will do whatever they think they can get away with, Constitution be damned.

What is mind numbing to me is the large percentage of naive conservatives who have no clue yet that this is the MO.

[Highest Authority]

?More protection of our bio-weapons labs?

[Puppage]

I just received an email from Niger saying I am due millions!!

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "...the U.S. troop presence...." around the world is become a hydra excused on the assumption that "the world's policeman" has plenty of money to pay for this.

Debt Clock

Federal Budget Deficit Grew to $2 Trillion in FY 2023 Tax Foundation, 12 October 2023

[Theoria]

We’ve already lost troops there. Four died in a ambush in 2017.

[BobL]

“The most ridiculous thing is under the law (passed by that Senate) a military coup means the US has to stop or withdraw support for the government. Rand is exposing blatant hypocrisy and law breaking by the Senate/politicians. Interesting I thought.”

You’re missing the point of Rule #3 of the Rules-Based International Order that the West keeps lecturing the world on. Rule #3, and I quote, states the following:

Rule #3: “All countries, with the exception of the United States and those that the United States exempts, shall follow the the laws that their Legislatures have duly enacted.”

Note that the United States, meaning the Biden Administration, is NOT required to follow US law, due to Rule #3, so I see no issue here.