Dave Obey may be retiring but he still is going down fighting.
The Wausau Democrat, who has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District for the past 40 years and who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, blasted the more conservative Senate for stripping more than $20 billion in domestic outlays from a nearly $59 billion emergency spending bill, most of which will go for the U.S. troop buildup in Afghanistan.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday gave final approval to the measure that includes almost $33 billion for Afghanistan, along with over $5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, almost $3 billion for Haiti relief programs and $68 million for the oil disaster response in the Gulf of Mexico. The legislation goes to President Obama for his signature.
Obey, who said he opposed the emergency funding bill because of questions over the prospects for success in Afghanistan, said, "The Afghan government has not demonstrated the focused determination, reliability and judgment necessary to bring this effort to a rational and successful conclusion.
The federal government has "appropriated over $1 trillion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to date, more than $700 billion to Iraq and $300 billion for Afghanistan," Obey adeded.
"To those who say we must pay it because we're going after al Qaeda, I would note that Afghanistan is where al Qaeda used to be," he said. "Today, there are fewer than 100 al Qaeda in Afghanistan, which was publicly confirmed last month by CIA chief (Leon) Panetta. Al Qaeda has relocated to other countries and regions."
