Russ Feingold: “in the wake of 9/11, Congress developed a new program to provide financial assistance to allied countries as they joined…”

“in the wake of 9/11, Congress developed a new program to provide financial assistance to allied countries as they joined us in combating al-Qaida. This program reimbursed partner countries for defense spending above and beyond their normal military budget. And of the 27 coalition partner countries who receive this assistance--also known as Coalition Support Funds--Pakistan has been by far the largest recipient, receiving more than $5.5 billion out of a total $7 billion allocated for this program. This program could have been an important part of our global fight against terrorists who pose a very real threat to our country. But a new Government Accountability Office report shows that, in fact, the outcome was just the opposite. Over the past 7 years, U.S. taxpayer dollars have continued to flow with only minimal oversight while we have still not found Osama bin Laden and his senior officials and while al-Qaida has developed a safe haven in Pakistan. The GAO report details numerous examples of this wasteful spending, including $20 million paid to the Pakistani Government for road construction and $15 million to build bunkers--with no evidence that either was ever built.”