Rodney Frelinghuysen: “Let me thank the gentleman for his amendment and his thoughtfulness and his concerns, which we share about a lot of…”

“Let me thank the gentleman for his amendment and his thoughtfulness and his concerns, which we share about a lot of projects we have invested in in Afghanistan. I understand the gentleman's intentions are well placed. There were a few projects that were initiated, and the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund ran into hurdles, as construction projects do, and are yet to be completed. The construction hurdles are by and large complete. The Kandahar bridging solution--this is the plan to provide electrical power to Kandahar--should be completed soon. This was a top counterinsurgency priority. Initiated in fiscal year 2011, the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund funded infrastructure projects in Afghanistan to lock in security gains and maintain stability by providing basic essential infrastructure to the people of Afghanistan. Our appropriations act enacted last year was not to extend funding or add any new projects but merely to have the authority to respond to out-of-scope adjustments on existing projects so they can be completed and functional for the Afghan people. We, of course, realize we have infrastructure needs here at home in the United States, but what message does it send to the Afghan people, yet to the world, that we would leave nine major power-generation projects unfinished, including the Kajaki Dam? Six of these projects are estimated to be completed by the end of the year, with only three completions remaining. May I say the committee opposes the amendment.…”