Senate Republicans Will Force a Vote to Strip Terrorist-Funding Qatar of Its Status as a "Non-NATO Ally"

The Democrats will block this. Qatar keeps all of their pockets filled to overflowing.

Whenever a Democrat or NeverTrumper needs an extra $20-50,000, they just hop on a Qatar-paid luxury jet and fly off to "advise" the Qatar government or give a speech no one attends.

Sen. Ted Budd (R., N.C.) will take to the Senate floor on Wednesday to seek unanimous consent on a landmark measure that would begin the process of stripping Qatar's status as a non-NATO ally due to its close relations with the Hamas terror group, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

The measure, unveiled on Tuesday, signals mounting frustration with Qatar's inability to secure a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel and is an unprecedented effort by lawmakers to downgrade diplomatic relations with a U.S. ally in the Middle East. The decision to invoke unanimous consent forces the Senate to immediately consider the legislation and hold a vote on it.

Budd's legislation, which is backed by Sens. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) and Rick Scott (R., Fla.), would force the Biden administration to certify that Qatar is exerting "any and all" leverage it has over Hamas to secure the release of Israeli and American hostages. The administration would have to verify to Congress that Qatar "does not directly or indirectly support, financially or otherwise, acts of international terrorism or foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas."

If the administration cannot make this determination, President Joe Biden would have to immediately terminate Qatar's status as a non-NATO ally, stripping the country of its elevated status with the U.S. armed forces and other members of the international defense pact.

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Qatar has been in the spotlight since Hamas's terror attack on Israel, with congressional Republicans repeatedly chastising the country for its long-standing relationship with Hamas. The Iran-backed terror group's senior leadership lives in Qatar and the country maintains a financial relationship with the group.

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Update 12:21 p.m.: When Budd introduced his unanimous consent motion Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Chris Murphy (D, Conn.) quickly objected, putting the measure on temporary ice.

Murphy described Qatar in 2022 as America's "best partner in the region," a designation typically given to Israel.

Murphy also travelled to Qatar when it held the 2022 World Cup, and came under fire for boosting Doha at a time when it was facing intense criticism for mass human rights abuses. The Democratic senator referred to Qatar's foreign minister as "my friend" in a social media post at the time, sparking pushback from supporters and those concerned about the country's lackluster human rights record.

Qatar, not Israel, is our "best ally in the region."

posted by Disinformation Expert Ace at 03:15 PM

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