Defense

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) on Wednesday joined a growing group of congressional voices charging that Pakistan was sheltering Osama bin Laden for several years and said this is another reason why the U.S. should abandon wasteful foreign aid programs.

"Foreign aid to Pakistan, though bin Laden was safely protected for 10 years in Pakistan, should make us question the wisdom of robbing American citizens to support any government around the world with foreign aid," Paul said.

"Our failed foreign policy is reflected in our bizarre relationship with Pakistan," he continued. "We bomb them with our drones causing civilian casualties, we give them billions of dollars in foreign aid, and she protects America's enemy number one, bin Laden, for a decade."

Rep. Sherman says high-ranking Pakistani officials undoubtedly knew Osama bin Laden was hiding in their country.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Monday asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for more details on how much cooperation the U.S. received from Pakistan in locating and carrying out the operation that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden earlier this week.

In his letter, Corker questioned whether Pakistan might have been holding back on information about bin Laden's whereabouts, given that he was so close to Pakistan's capital.

"As I understand from President Obama's speech last evening, the Pakistanis provided some cooperation in the operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden," Corker wrote. "That said, the discovery that bin Laden was living in comfortable surroundings merely 35 miles from Islamabad calls into question whether or not the Pakistanis had knowledge that he was there and did not share that knowledge. The claim had been he was difficult to find because he was hiding in the mountains.

"I hope that in the coming days you will provide details as to the extent of the cooperation received from the Pakistanis and their role in the final operation," he added.

Republicans took to the House floor Monday afternoon full of praise for the Obama administration's successful coordinated effort to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, and encouraged the administration to keep up efforts to fight terrorism.

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) congratulated Obama and his administration, and said the U.S. should be "tremendously proud" of this accomplishment. He also stressed that intelligence efforts that some Democrats have questioned helped the U.S. track down the al Qaeda leader.

"Let's not forget the intelligence officers that worked so diligently at Guantánamo Bay, at Gitmo — not torturing, but getting intelligence," Gingrey said on the House floor. "Finding out who that courier was … the best friend of Osama bin Laden lived in his neighborhood in Pakistan, and that's how we got him. Intelligence is how we got him."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) gave full credit to President Obama Monday for killing Osama bin Laden, and did not mention the efforts of former President George W. Bush.

"This was a direct result of President Obama's efforts to refocus on Afghanistan and Pakistan as a central battle ground in our fight against terror," Reid said in a press conference at the Capitol.

Homeland Security Committee member Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) said Monday that Osama bin Laden's death shows the need for Congress to renew the Patriot Act and maintain a U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

Speaking on C-SPAN, Lungren said bin Laden's death was possible in large part because of the continuity of intelligence and the ability to analyze that intelligence over time. He said it is a "tremendous reminder of why we need to have these kinds of tools in this fight," citing three surveillance authorities in the Patriot Act as examples.

"I hope this will remind people of how important this is," Lungren said.

House Democrats late Tuesday will attempt to add language to the full FY 2011 spending bill that would prohibit further military action in both Libya and Afghanistan. While the measures are expected to fail, the attempt shows continuing unease about U.S. military involvements overseas, including among some Republicans.

The House Rules Committee at 5 p.m. will take up H.R. 1473, which would fund the rest of FY 2011 according to last week's agreement between Congress and the White House. Democrats have filed seven amendments to that bill that they are expected to argue in favor of tonight.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) on Monday said the Obama administration should demand that Libyan rebels turn over to U.S. authorities any rebel leaders with U.S. "blood on their hands."

In a floor speech, Sherman identified Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi as one Libyan rebel leader who has bragged about sending men to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq. "We should insist that such individuals be turned over to the United States, and if they can't find them, that they at least disassociate themselves," he said.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) on Thursday morning said the Obama administration's decision to launch strikes against Libya is "illegal and unconstitutional" because it failed to get congressional approval.

"The only conclusion we can make is that this was an illegal and unconstitutional act of the highest significance," he said on the House floor.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) on Thursday will address what he called the Obama administration's "Libyan war" in a one-hour presentation on the House floor.

"We are in the midst of a foreign policy and constitutional crisis," Kucinich said Wednesday. "The administration has committed our nation to a war against Libya in violation of the Constitution of the United States."

He also noted a New York Times story that said the Libyan opposition may have ties to Al Qaeda, and that the US is considering arming these forces.

Kucinich said his Thursday "response" to the military action would be "in the form of facts and questions," and said the administration has "subverted Congress and the United States Constitution."

"Congress must challenge violations of our constitutional principles related to war and peace," he said. "The critical issue today is not the defense of Libyan democracy, but the defense of American democracy."