U.S. American House of Representatives Approves War Funding Bill

A bill to pay for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and help bolster Pakistan's ability to fight extremists, has been approved Tuesday by the U.S. House of Representatives in a 226 to 202 vote, VOA reports.

Thirty-two antiwar Democrats voted against the measure, as did all but five Republicans. Just under $80 billion meets Pentagon needs in Iraq and Afghanistan, including preparations for the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. President Obama set August 31, 2010 as the date all combat troops will depart, except for as many as 50,000 to advise and train the Iraqi army.

The legislation provides $3.6 billion for counter-terrorism Coalition Support Funds to expand and improve capabilities of Afghanistan's security forces, and another $1.4 billion for economic and development aid. Of the $2.4 billion addressing needs in Pakistan, $707 million is to address a range of economic needs, including aid to refugees, along with support for governance and rule of law programs and education. Plans for a new Counterinsurgency

Capabilities Fund to help Pakistan's military and special forces fight extremists receive a total of $700 million.

Outspoken anti-war Democrats were among 32 voting against their party among them Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich: "We have got another $80 billion here for war, but we don't have money to keep people in their homes, because there are still 13 million Americans who are losing their homes, we don't have money for the 50 million Americans who don't have any health care, we don't have money to save jobs, we don't have money to save our steel mills and our auto plants," said Kucinich. "What we have is we have money for war."

The legislation also includes hundreds of millions of dollars in economic, humanitarian and security aid for Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Somalia, southern Sudan, Zimbabwe, the Republic of Georgia, and Mexico. It also contains food assistance, and funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

All but five Republicans voted against the removal of a Senate provision that would have banned the public release of photographs showing U.S. interrogators abusing terrorist detainees.
That's $721 million to make up for the FY04 to FY09 shortfall in U.S. payments to the UN and $168 million for the voluntary peacekeeping account for Somalia.

Late yesterday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives also passed the last FY09 Emergency Supplemental, a conference committee agreement that includes language for full repayment of UN arrears.

House approval sends the bill to the Senate which is expected to act on it later this week before the measure goes to President Obama for signature.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: “We’re destroying our nation’s moral and fiscal integrity with the war supplemental. Instead of ending wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan now by appropriating only enough money to bring our troops home, Congress abdicates its constitutional authority, defers to the President, and asks for a report. That’s right. All we’re asking for is a report on when the President will end the war."

Source:Ecoterra, June 17, 2009

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