Foreign Policy

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's bill would allow the U.S. to selectively fund only the U.N. programs it supports. 

The House on Friday was formally notified of the Obama administration’s expanded sanctions against Syria in light of that country’s governmental crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.

During Friday’s short pro forma session, the House reading clerk read out President Obama’s decision to expand sanctions through a new executive order. That order freezes Syrian government assets in the United States, bans imports of Syrian-origin petroleum and prohibits U.S. participation in Syria’s petroleum industry.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said Thursday that attacks in Israel that killed seven could indicate that Egypt has failed to fully secure its border with Gaza, which could lead to increased violence in Israel.

"This could be a warning that recent events in Egypt, including the opening of Egypt's border with Gaza, will open the way for further attacks," Nadler said. "Those around the world who have criticized Israel for its careful control of its border with Gaza should take note."

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), an outspoken critic of U.S. military involvement in Libya, on Thursday called on the United Nations to ensure that governments are held accountable for civilian deaths in Libya under operations authorized by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973.

In his Thursday letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Kucinich cited press reports that said Libyan authorities are accusing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces of killing 85 villagers in air strikes, including 33 children.

"If such reports are true, it further highlights the increased risks to civilians that has occurred as a result of military intervention in Libya and is further evidence that continued bombing by NATO under the context of UNSCR 1973 is an inappropriate tool to protect civilians or force Moammar Gadhafi from power," Kucinich wrote.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Monday called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to look into reports that the Palestinian Authority is using foreign aid money from the United Kingdom to pay the families of Palestinians killed fighting against Israel and assess whether any U.S. foreign aid to the authority is being used this way.

The British newspaper, the Daily Mail, reported Monday that the Palesenian Authority (PA), which oversees the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has authorized $8.2 million in payments to the "families of martyrs," and another $4.9 million for 5,500 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

"I ask that you investigate expeditiously the allegations reported by the Daily Mail, provide information to Congress and the American people on what you have learned, and ensure that U.S. taxpayer money does not go to support terrorists or those who aid them," Nadler wrote in his letter.

Restrictions in the bill "would be debilitating to my efforts to carry out a considered foreign policy," Clinton said.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee worked late Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning on the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, and much of the work involved accepting amendments that would significantly limit U.S. foreign aid and improve the transparency of foreign aid programs.

By the time it adjourned at about 2 a.m. Thursday, the committee accepted two amendments that would cut off aid to specific countries. One, from Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), would prohibit the use of funds for any program in Argentina, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador or Bolivia.

The other, from Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), would prohibit any foreign assistance to countries that oppose the U.S. in the United Nations.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to mark up a State Department authorization bill on Wednesday that would apply new barriers to U.S. security aid to Pakistan and other countries. The proposal comes amid ongoing questions about the extent to which Pakistan sheltered 9/11 terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Under the bill, security aid to Pakistan would be conditioned on a certification from the president that Pakistan is "is fully assisting the United States with investigating the existence of an official or unofficial support network in Pakistan for Osama Bin Laden, including by providing the United States with direct access to Osama Bin Laden's relatives in Pakistan and to Osama Bin Laden's former compound in Abottabad and any materials therein."

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) on Monday said he believes the House will move to cut foreign aid to Pakistan as a way to express its anger over what most agree is Pakistan's failure to offer meaningful help in the U.S. search for Osama bin Laden.

Just last week, Poe tried unsuccessfully to strip $2 billion in funds the U.S. currently sends to Pakistan to pay for counterinsurgency training and to help the U.S. in counterterrorism efforts. But Poe said he believes the House will be more willing to cut foreign aid instead.

"I think members of the House do see a difference in military aid and straight out foreign aid, and I hope they're more receptive to cutting out foreign aid to Pakistan," Poe said in an interview with The Hill.

Members of the House Thursday evening overwhelmingly approved a resolution that calls for a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The resolution is meant to make the PA think twice about trying to unilaterally declare statehood at the United Nations, given its close association with Hamas, a group on the U.S. terrorist list that openly calls for the destruction of Israel.

The House voted 407-6 in favor of the resolution, H.Res. 268. Only three Republicans and three Democrats voted against it; 13 members voted "present."