Posted on 06/28/2010 2:19:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A key U.S. House of Representatives Democrat said on Monday she is cutting billions of dollars in aid to Afghanistan from spending legislation because she is outraged over reports of corruption and donor aid being flown out the country.
Representative Nita Lowey, who heads the House appropriations subcommittee on foreign aid, vowed not to spend "one more dime" on aid to Afghanistan until she can be sure it is not being abused.
The Democrat also announced hearings on corruption in Afghanistan, where the Obama administration is trying to work with the government of President Hamid Karzai to confront the Taliban insurgency.
An aide to Lowey said the Obama administration requested $3.9 billion for the accounts affected in the fiscal 2011 foreign aid appropriations bill before Lowey's committee.
Lowey said in her statement she would only leave "lifesaving humanitarian aid" in the bill, which her committee will consider on Wednesday.
Her statement comes amid increasing doubts among U.S. lawmakers about President Barack Obama's six-month-old troop buildup strategy against a resurgent Taliban.
She acted after a Wall Street Journal report on Monday said more than $3 billion in cash had been flown out of Kabul airport in the past three years, and that U.S. investigators think some of the money being flown out to safe havens is diverted U.S. aid.
On the same day, a report in the Washington Post said that top officials in Karzai's government have repeatedly derailed corruption investigations of politically connected Afghans.
"The alleged shipment of billions in donor funds out of Afghanistan and allegations of Afghan government insiders impeding corruption investigations are outrageous," Lowey said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
She’s an angry elf.
-Buddy
Imagine that..ole Nita finally caring about how money is spent.?.?
I vote we not give AID TO ANY COUNTRY!
Ditto that Red Devil!
She could start closer to home, Planned Parenthood, ACORN and the UN.
You go girl!!!
pre-election posturing. YAWN.
again , it will be the end of America as we know it , and possibly the free world as we know it , to continue to allow these foolish civilians run the show when it comes to war .
Civs should run the civ issues and mil should run the mil issues
America needs to be led by warriors , not by lawyers
I am trembling at the totally unexpected, indescribably horrific sight!
Nita baby, why don’t you start with your own house of reps and then go on to the senate and then the grandaddy of all theft, the whitehouse itself? Look in the damn mirror, woman!
Surprise Surprise ??? I think not.
This is typical tribal mentality.
Is Castro your role model? What's wrong with citizen leaders?
Corruption of a government getting free money? Geez. I didn’t see that coming.
"The Taliban, in my view, is one part terrorist group, one part narco cartel today. Afghanistan is still producing 90 percent of the opium/heroin in the world. It is a big problem."
Knowing this, why are we surprised..drugs, corruption, narco, cartels...spells corruption. Just look south of our border.
Probably the dollar amount is much larger than what would be reported-a real unknown.
CIA has even (re) hired Xe Services( formerly Blackwater) for $100mil ($26mil under bid)to provide security in Afghanistan.
I say we take some stake in the mineral wealth discovered in a recent Pentagon study ($$$)by deputy undersecretary of defense for business and leader of the Pentagon--trillion plus..China wants in, England investment group, etc when it becomes a secure environment--our troops put their lives on the line every day to bring security to this area. Plus our tax dollar Pentagon study found this mineral wealth, vast riches.
Flexibility in a complete troop pull out seems suggested by Feinstein, plus if Eikenberry and Special Envoy Holbrooke can't work with Petraeus, they can go, the eggs are in the general's basket... vs 'Tiny Dancer' Emanuel saying: "we're going to leave next summer no matter what, or start to leave, it's going to be very hard for him or anyone else to win".
Lot's to think about..
Obviously, she isn’t getting her fair share of the Ashcanistan loot. As soon as that is remedied and she is, she’ll be fine and go along with sending as much “foreign aid” as possible out of the country.
Way to piss off a liberal: take the bribes and payoff money away that they think they’re entitled to.
So thats is where BO gets his campaign money!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.