[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 149 (Thursday, October 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ENSURING THE EFFECTIVE USE OF UNITED STATES AID TO PAKISTAN ACT

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                           HON. MIKE COFFMAN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2011

  Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing 
legislation to end all U.S. economic aid to Pakistan and to suspend all 
U.S. military aid until the Obama administration can certify to 
Congress that the Government of Pakistan is effectively using the aid 
against the Taliban and other al Qaeda affiliates that are planning and 
executing attacks on U.S. targets.
  My legislation will send a clear signal to the Government of Pakistan 
that they can't have it both ways. They can't be stridently anti-
American and expect U.S. economic aid to continue and they can't be 
complicit in supporting some of the same radical Islamists groups that 
target Americans and expect to receive more U.S. military aid.
  There is a growing pattern of incidents whereby elements within the 
Pakistani government are blocking cooperation between the U.S. and 
Pakistan and are providing covert support to some of the same 
organizations that are targeting U.S. troops and their coalition allies 
fighting in Afghanistan.
  Recently, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike 
Mullen, testified to Congress and accused Pakistan's intelligence 
agency of providing strategic support for the Haqqani network, which 
the U.S. blames for the recent attack on the U.S. Embassy in 
Afghanistan. In his testimony, Admiral Mullen said, ``The support of 
terrorism is part of their national strategy. . . . And that's got to 
fundamentally shift.''
  My legislation would immediately suspend all military aid to Pakistan 
until the Obama administration can certify that the Government of 
Pakistan is fully cooperating with the U.S. and is effectively using 
U.S. military aid in conducting operations against the Taliban, al 
Qaeda, and the other radical Islamic organizations engaged in terrorist 
operations.
  I don't think that other legislation in this area goes far enough. I 
believe that the U.S. economic aid Pakistan receives is a complete 
waste of U.S. tax dollars because it hasn't done anything to improve 
the U.S./Pakistani relationship, as intended. Instead, the relationship 
has actually deteriorated despite the fact that the U.S. has increased 
assistance to the Government of Pakistan--which has received over $2 
billion in economic aid over the last two years.
  By cutting off all economic aid and suspending all military aid we 
will be sending a clear message to the Pakistani government that they 
are not to take our support for granted.
  So long as we have troops fighting in Afghanistan, who need the 
supply lines that run through Pakistan, it would be irresponsible to 
immediately eliminate all military aid to Pakistan. I do believe that 
the Pakistani military is capable of effectively using the aid to help 
defeat some of the same radical Islamic forces that U.S. troops are 
fighting, who cross from Pakistan to the Afghan side of the border.

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