This is a rush transcript from "Your World," March 5, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Pick an uprising, any uprising, not just this one, any one, Egypt, Libya, Syria, now Ukraine. Same sad story, but billions upon billions of dollars later, how are we changing that story?
Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto.
And here we go again, the White House now offering $1 billion in aid to help out a fledgling government in Ukraine, the administration calling it technical assistance to help Ukraine rebuild its shattered economy, as it continues to face down a military threat from Russia.
But how can we be so sure where that money is going and whether it even goes there and about giving period? -- $1.7 billion in humanitarian aid for Syria, still an inhuman place. More than $3 billion to stabilize things in Egypt, still very unstable -- $3 billion for Libya to get it back to being normal, far from normal.
All well-intended, but just like the billion spent fixing roads and bridges, we still have broken roads and bridges. And now we're trying to fix broken governments again.
Ron Paul says this has got to end, because we're tapped out.
Congressman, here we go again.
I always believe with big hearts and very big and worthy goals, but to no real financial end.
RON PAUL, R-FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Well, you know about good intention and where it gets you, and that's generally the case.
And you mentioned Syria. We ended up getting money to help some people and we were helping the Al Qaeda. But, you know, I thought one thing that might be an unintended consequence, you know, the new government wants some money. They said there's a pressing need. Of course, we're supposed to come up with a billion, but it's going to be a lot more than that, because the Europeans promised $15 billion, and that will -- that -- we will be obligated for some of that.
But they're going to -- that assumes that we have the money and it assumes that there are no pressing needs in this country, and that we're going to send them this money. But I think something that's interesting that might happen, the unintended consequences.
You know, one of the things is that they're behind on their payments to Russia for their natural gas. So maybe if we send the money to the new government, they will pay Russia the money for their gas, so they don't turn off their gas lines or something like that.
But those are the kind of things. It's wasteful. It's a bad policy. We have no business being involved there, and we certainly don't have any money to send them. So, I would say, the sooner we get out of there, the better.
CAVUTO: Yes, leaving aside, I think, as you point out, whether we can change things with our money, and we don't have the money -- you're quite right on that -- we're running these deficits even now and piling up the debt even now -- you don't know who you're giving it to. Right?
In the case of Syria, we thought the good guys were good guys and they turned out to be bad guys. We saw that in Libya. We have -- we have -- we have seen that countless times in countless conflicts before. So our intentions are always good. I never besmirch them. What I worry about is -- is whether we have any follow-through, because we have committed trillions...
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: ... over the years to various causes that just don't, don't pan out.
PAUL: You know, I think there are two -- two things going on.
I think the support from the members -- most members of Congress, as well as from the people of this country, it's well-intended: Well, we have to help these people out. There's poor people starving. We can't let them starve.
But I think there's ulterior motives behind a lot of this too. Our interventions overseas, we don't have clean hands. Sometimes, it has to do with energy and special interests and the military industrial complex, all kinds of special interests.
So they lead the charge. But to get total support from the people that get -- translates into support from Congress, it's usually this whole -- whole idea that it's well-intentioned and we're going to help the people that really suffer.
I believe in that, but I think we should help the people here in this country by allowing them to keep their own money and spend their own money that way. And if they want to donate to these countries, fine and dandy. But that is good and well-intended to, but...
CAVUTO: And, by the way, you're right about that. Americans will, in times of crises and hurricanes and disasters, be they in Haiti or anywhere else, they will give out of their own wallets.
But my issue here is that, a lot of times, to your point, Congressman, we try to, you know, buy their love. And we only end up putting a deposit on their hatred, you know?
PAUL: That's right.
It always backfires. And it's always gets in the hand of the payout -- I have always argued that foreign aid is a process where you take money from poor people in this country and give it to rich people in other countries, because the people never seem to be helped. The special interests seemed to be helped.
CAVUTO: Yes.
PAUL: It's government to government, with usually some obligations. Well, we will send you this money as long as you buy this contract and buy some goods and services...
CAVUTO: Good point.
PAUL: ... from the United States.
So, no, I think the founders were right. Stay out of the internal affairs of other nations. Get away from these entangling alliances, mind our own business and, you know, develop -- develop trade relations. I was thinking -- they were showing the map today of all those pipelines going through Ukraine.
And here it is, there's a lot of economic interests. And that's why they're saying, well, maybe there won't be sanctions. The So, More there's a combination of economic interests -- today, we're less likely to fight China because of economic interests.
CAVUTO: Yes. Yes.
PAUL: When I was in high school, of course, we were killing each other.
So I want economic, you know, integration.
CAVUTO: All right.
PAUL: And that is -- that is good, and it's -- it's a long way from what they call isolationism. Right now, I think sanctions are isolations.
CAVUTO: OK. Congressman...
PAUL: And that's what they're getting ready to put on.
CAVUTO: ... I think your message about using our head with our heart is -- is well -- well-received.
Thank you, sir.
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