Senate Democrats Question Iraq, Pakistan Funding

[babylonsister]

Senate Democrats Question Iraq, Pakistan Funding


Senate Armed Services Committee Democrats on Tuesday questioned whether billions of dollars in aid for Iraq and Pakistan are being spent unnecessarily or are being diverted to purposes other than the ones Congress intended.

One member questioned why U.S. taxpayers will spend $3 billion this year alone for development and security in Iraq when Baghdad is spending only a fraction of its more than $40 billion in annual oil-export revenue on such programs. Another senator said there are credible reports that the United States is giving Pakistan nearly $1 billion a year to fight terrorism without getting the proper receipts to indicate the money is being used for that purpose — and not for weapons designed to fight India.

The twin charges exemplify how, after more than six years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, Democrats are ratcheting up attacks on the way U.S. funds are spent on those conflicts.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Carl Levin , D-Mich., the committee’s chairman, said Iraq made $41 billion exporting oil last year and is expected to make $56 billion in 2008. However, he said, Iraq has used only a fraction of that money for its own security and development needs.

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002681044