House Votes to Block Aid for Saudi Arabia

[ze_dscherman]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers cheered as the House of Representatives voted on Thursday to strip financial assistance for Saudi Arabia from a foreign aid bill because of criticism that the country has not been sufficiently cooperative in the U.S. war on terror.

The vote was a stinging defeat for the Bush Administration which had strongly opposed the measure saying it would "severely undermine" counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia and U.S. efforts for peace in the Middle East.

The House voted 217-191 to remove $25,000 in the $19.4 billion 2005 foreign aid bill earmarked for Saudi Arabia.

The funds were designated for military training but approval would have triggered millions of dollars in discounts on hardware and other military training, lawmakers said.

More: http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5687124

[fujiyama]

1. Good!

It's about time the US started doing this with several countries, including Pakistan and possibly Israel as well.

[AndyTiedye]

2. $25,000? Must be some 000's missing

or else we are talking about a truely featheweight slap-on-the-wrist.

[JohnnyRingo]

3. Yeah !....They're gonna deduct the cost of a Buick ?!!

That'll show 'em !

[Hekate]

4. $25K out of $19.4 billion?!

Talk about your symbolic gestures.

Hekate

[DeadHead67]

5. $25 FUCKING THOUSAND OUT OF $19.4 BILLION ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:wtf: :crazy: :wtf: :crazy: :wtf: :crazy:

[Sufi Marmot]

9. I think the 19.4 billion is the total amount we give to everybody...

I'm not sure what % of the 19.4 billion goes to Saudi Arabia, although I suspect it's a lot more thant $25,000....

[chicagojoe]

6. Why does Saudi Arabia get ANY U.S. AID ?????????

Isn't the Saudi government ALREADY filthy f***ing rich ??? You know,
the oil thing?

[Aidoneus]

7. Because they're hired agents, not slaves

Mercenaries expect payment for their services, especially when it is quisling puppets as loyal and useful as the al-Sauds..

[MissAnnThrope]

8. Wow, An Entire $25,000

Out of $19,400,000,000. Which means they're getting $19,399,975,000. Wow. What a difference for them. I wonder just how much in interest that revised figure is going to get in the bank there. I sincerely doubt they're going to miss that $25K.

[RC]

10. Doesn't any one here read above freeper level?

"The funds were designated for military training but approval would have triggered millions of dollars in discounts on hardware and other military training, lawmakers said."

[AndyTiedye]

13. I Saw That, But Still....

...it's hard to imagine $25,000 buying any military anything these days.

[DulceDecorum]

16. So Saudi Arabia lost their $25,000 coupon?

Good for
"millions of dollars in discounts on hardware and other military training"
at the local US military hardware store?

And this all has nothing to do
with the shortage of ammo and guns and war stuff
that the US is currently experiencing?

[lojasmo]

11. Right ON! Somebody found their intestinal fortitude.

Freaking amazing!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

12. $25,000 Cheney could pay for it with a portion of his Halib. stock options

"Stinging defeat" my ass!

[tom_paine]

14. Yep. This Headline was almost certainly written by a Mockingbird

More Orwellian lies from Imperial Pravda. Virtually all "news" organizations in the Empire are affected, and it contrinues to get WORSE with NO END in sight.

Can America ever be free without a Free and Independent Press? There were times in history (some might say a majority of the time before WWII) when we didn;t have one either.

And we survived.

Who knows?

[DulceDecorum]

15. THINK, PEOPLE

Why does Saudi Arabia need AID from the US?
Saudi Arabia has OIL.
All they need is for the US to PAY THEIR DEBTS.

Everytime you hear the word AID,
it is simply a payment for services rendered to the US
by that particular nation.

For example, you see all those Toyota and Hondas?
THAT is why Japan needs aid.

You see that milk sitting in your refridgerator?
Well the dairy farmer needs "Aid" too.

You go to work for forty hours a week?
Then your employer really should give you some "Aid."

Now think.
Does the US have ANY money to speak of?
The Saudis pulled out of the stock market
after being accused of September 11
and this pullout crashed the NYSE.

And now Congress just voted not to send "aid" to Saudi Arabia.
I wish I could do the same with my mortgage.
But I am afraid of the consquences.
And it looks like Congress is in the same fix.
What is 19.4 billion minus 25,000?

"The House voted 217-191 to remove $25,000 in the $19.4 billion 2005 foreign aid bill earmarked for Saudi Arabia."
http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5687124