Congress speeds to approve fresh war funds (including $108B for IMF)

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite Democrats' rising anxiety about Afghanistan, Congress is quickly advancing President Barack Obama's $85 billion request for war spending and foreign aid efforts there and in Iraq.

The House moved Thursday toward passing the measure, which would push the total provided by Congress for the wars above $900 billion, while a key Senate committee took up a companion bill that sticks closely to Obama's war request and also provides $50 million to the Pentagon to begin the promised closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

. . .

A separate conflict over the war-funding measure concerns whether it should provide a $108 billion U.S. contribution to the International Monetary Fund as part of an expanded $500 billion IMF loan fund, a cornerstone of last month's Group of 20 nations summit in London to assist poor countries struggling through the global economic downturn.

Obama officially requested the IMF funding late Tuesday, and the request was immediately incorporated by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, into the $91.5 billion war legislation.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDAwppTkwr35Vc0vk3_3s0KI1QVQD9866V3G2

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The IMF as Big Banks' Debt-Collector
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/blog/2009/05/imf-as-big-banks-debt-collector.html

The IMF is destroying poor countries
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/6720/2/



the Obama administration, in a surprise move out of nowhere on Tuesday, decided to try and attach the $108bn for the IMF to another spending bill in order to circumvent the normal legislative process. The reason for this stealth maneuver is that they might run into trouble in the House, where legislators are wary of voting for multi-billion blank cheques after the backlash against the Tarp financial bailout. They will try to convince Congress to approve this money without hearings or debate with the idea that it must be done in order to save poor people in poor countries.

:nuke:

What the Frack does Obama think we elected him to office for?

The shame of it. So many people hurt for lies, deceit and torture.

I thought he would want to go down in history as the first African American president who was able to right all the wrongs of presidents before him.

This is nothing more that another 100 billion dollar installment in the ruining of this country.

The war needs to stop right away.

I guess the move towards closing Gitmo is a positive.

Or pakistan. Somewhere where, unless we are prepared to use taactical nukes, we won't win.

4 more yrs of this shite and I will write in a 3rd party candidate. he needs to make a U turn, fast.