Tim Walberg: “I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, as a review, my amendment would reduce funding of the Afghanistan Infrastructure…”

“I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, as a review, my amendment would reduce funding of the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund by $79 million to a total of $200 million--the level adopted by this House during last year's Defense appropriations bill. SIGAR has found that the projects which are under way right now are behind schedule and years away from completion and raise serious concerns about whether some of the projects may run counter to our goals and the COIN strategy. Finally, Mr. Chairman, additionally, as the end of operations in Afghanistan draws near, the Afghan people will need to bear the responsibility of building and maintaining their own infrastructure, to say the least. The Afghan Government has often not been a reliable partner in these projects. They have often had little role in designating these projects--designing them, carrying them out, power lines, roads, and building projects that ultimately will not be used. The Department's own budget justification states that because not all fiscal year 2012 and 2013 projects have been awarded, the fiscal year 2014 budget estimate is based on ``limited actual cost data.'' At a time when often difficult choices need to be made, we have a concern that as Congress is being asked to support funding and projects, that they really have limited cost data involved. I ask for support for this amendment.…”