The US House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday cut the Obama administration's $51 billion 2012 budget request for the State Department and foreign aid by $6.4 billion, but kept unchanged the $3 billion in military aid for Israel.
Commentators say that the committee vote is a direct challenge to President Barack Obama. The Republican majority in the House of Representatives is trying to limit Obama's freedom of action in handling foreign policy and to minimize US contributions to international organizations - especially the UN. An Israeli source told Globes that the Foreign Affairs Committee slashed foreign aid for the Palestinians, Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen, until the President certifies that these governments are "not directly or indirectly controlled by a foreign terrorist organization", and eliminated military and civilian aid altogether for Pakistan, until the Secretary of State certifies Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terror and the effectiveness of civilian programs.
The Republican majority in the House means that the bill will be easily passed. However, the Democratic majority in the Senate has its own version of the foreign aid and State Department budget bill. The Senate version gives Obama the freedom of action that the House is trying to take away. The joint Senate-House committee will have to reconcile the two versions, and the final version will undoubtedly remove the House clauses limiting the administration.
Comment: We have to consider that the information about a war against Iran comes from an "ex-CIA" source. So it makes this information highly suspicious. But we have to consider the movement of those war ships too. All in all, a well-organized strategy of communication and intimidation seems to be taking place.