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Congress gives Obama long-delayed Afghan war funds
(Reuters) - The Congress on Tuesday gave President Barack Obama long-delayed funding for his troop increase in Afghanistan despite opposition from many fellow Democrats, while Obama played down the gravity of leaked war documents.
In Kabul, the Afghan government accused the United States of ignoring Pakistan's role in the Taliban insurgency as the fallout continued from Sunday's unauthorized release of 91,000 classified U.S. military reports on the war.
Congress, controlled by Obama's Democratic Party, took six months to give him the funding he sought to pay for the 30,000 extra troops he is sending to Afghanistan to try to break a resurgent Taliban in the nine-year-old war.
The House of Representatives gave final approval to $37 billion in funding for the war effort by a vote of 308 to 114 but more Republicans than Democrats voted for it. In all, 102 House Democrats voted "no." The Senate previously passed the bill, which now goes to Obama to sign into law.
Democrats are deeply divided over the war. The Pentagon had pushed hard for the money, saying it would have had to cut back civilian salaries if the money was not approved by August.
Supporters of the measure argued it was wrong to delay funding for troops already sent to war.
The measure provides $33 billion mostly for the U.S. military in Afghanistan but with some covering expenses in Iraq. There is also nearly $4 billion for a related civilian surge of economic aid to Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
The $37 billion is in addition to about $130 billion Congress already approved for Afghanistan and Iraq for this year. Congress has appropriated more than $1 trillion for the two wars since 2001.
(Reuters) - The Congress on Tuesday gave President Barack Obama long-delayed funding for his troop increase in Afghanistan despite opposition from many fellow Democrats, while Obama played down the gravity of leaked war documents.
In Kabul, the Afghan government accused the United States of ignoring Pakistan's role in the Taliban insurgency as the fallout continued from Sunday's unauthorized release of 91,000 classified U.S. military reports on the war.
Congress, controlled by Obama's Democratic Party, took six months to give him the funding he sought to pay for the 30,000 extra troops he is sending to Afghanistan to try to break a resurgent Taliban in the nine-year-old war.
The House of Representatives gave final approval to $37 billion in funding for the war effort by a vote of 308 to 114 but more Republicans than Democrats voted for it. In all, 102 House Democrats voted "no." The Senate previously passed the bill, which now goes to Obama to sign into law.
Democrats are deeply divided over the war. The Pentagon had pushed hard for the money, saying it would have had to cut back civilian salaries if the money was not approved by August.
Supporters of the measure argued it was wrong to delay funding for troops already sent to war.
The measure provides $33 billion mostly for the U.S. military in Afghanistan but with some covering expenses in Iraq. There is also nearly $4 billion for a related civilian surge of economic aid to Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
The $37 billion is in addition to about $130 billion Congress already approved for Afghanistan and Iraq for this year. Congress has appropriated more than $1 trillion for the two wars since 2001.
