Rodney Frelinghuysen: “Eliminating the $400 million Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund is ill-conceived and unwise. This fund provides funding for…”

“Eliminating the $400 million Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund is ill-conceived and unwise. This fund provides funding for high-priority, large-scale infrastructure programs in support of the civil-military campaign in Afghanistan. These projects are critical to convincing the Afghan population to reject the insurgency and side with the Afghan Government. This in turn significantly reduces the threat to our troops and quickens the security transition process, which we all seek. Not only is this funding a top priority of the Secretaries of State and Defense, it is also a top priority of General David Petraeus. This fund is so directly related to the safety and security of our troops that it needs to be preserved, and thus I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment.”