Moving Forward on the International Affairs Budget
With the week-long Memorial Day recess quickly approaching, Congress is moving forward on the $59 billion FY 10 supplemental spending package for the war, Haiti and disaster assistance. The bill contains $6.1 billion in funding for the International Affairs Budget, including almost $2 billion for Haiti and several billion for the “Frontline States” of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. The full Senate started considering the bill yesterday, with debate likely to continue most of the week with a number of amendments to be offered. President Obama will meet with Senate Republicans this afternoon to urge their support for the spending measure. Republican support for the bill could be essential given opposition among some Democrats to the war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee is expected to mark up its version of the bill on Thursday afternoon, but action by the full House will not take place until after the recess.
