Congress Cuts Development Aid for Afghanistan by 50%

Congress has cut development aid to Afghanistan by 50%. In the massive spending bill signed into law the lawmakers provided $1.2 billion for fiscal 2014 for civilian assistance. Congress is less than happy with the performance of the Department of State and USAID in the management of funds. In addition, the gross corruption of the Afghan government and the erratic and irritating behavior of President Karzai has many feeling like it is time to pull the plug on financial assistance. Read more in "U.S. eyes options for Afghanistan after Congress cuts aid", Reuters, January 21, 2014.