House Passes Cohen Amendment to Cut Deficit and Limit Risk of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Afghanistan

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) last night celebrated the passage of his amendment to cut the deficit and help limit the risk of taxpayer dollars being wasted or stolen in Afghanistan. The Congressman’s amendment to the to the FY2014 Defense Department Appropriations bill, which reduces funding to the Afghan Infrastructure Fund by $139 million, passed by a bipartisan vote of 249-173. Video of the Congressman’s remarks in support of the amendment can be viewed here.

“Last night, both Democrats and Republicans came together to reduce the U.S. role in Afghanistan, cut our deficit, and limit the risk of waste, fraud, and theft overseas,” said Congressman Cohen. “With this bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives recognized that it is time for us to bring our troops home, for Afghanistan to invest in their own infrastructure, and for Congress to do a better job ensuring that taxpayer money is spent wisely.”

As Congressman Cohen also recently argued in an op-ed column, the United States should not be funneling American dollars to maintain the infrastructure in Afghanistan or for nation-building elsewhere, especially when U.S. authorities cannot guarantee how those funds are being used.

Of the 20 votes taken on amendments last night, Congressman Cohen’s was one of only two introduced by a Democrat to pass.