The US House of Representatives has voted to cut $ 650 million in military aid to Pakistan in the next fiscal year’s budget, beginning October 1, 2012. The legislative step is part of a whopping $608 billion American defense appropriations bill for the fiscal year 2013 and will have to be approved by Senate for it to become effective. The Capitol Hill move, coming weeks after a relative improvement in bilateral ties after the reopening of Pakistani supply routes, reflects the complexity of the relationship and House lawmakers’ mood. The issue was raised at the State Department briefing Thursday, where a spokesman said that since the legislative process was ongoing, he would not have any particular reaction to it.
The spokesman said the Administration continues to consult Congress in general but had no specific comment on the particular legislative process. “We, obviously, continue to support our Pakistani counterparts in key areas like counterterrorism,” Spokesman Patrick Ventrell said, when asked about the Obama Administration’s position on the issue. The amendment to slash aid was proposed by Congressman Ted Poe, a Republican and was passed on the floor in a voice vote. Initially, Poe had proposed to cut down the US aid by $1.3 billion, but he withdrew that amendment and agreed upon half the amount. “Pakistan seems to be the Benedict Arnold nation in the list of countries that we call allies,” Congressman Poe alleged.