Senators Demand Speed-Up of Aid to Iraq

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A State Department effort to redirect billions of dollars in U.S. reconstruction funds for Iraq (news - web sites) into smaller, faster projects that yield jobs may come too late to stem violence there, senators said on Thursday.


Only about $500 million of the $18.4 billion approved by Congress in reconstruction funds for Iraq this year has been spent and the State Department, which is now overseeing the funds, is considering ways to get the money out more quickly.


Ronald Schlicher, the State Department's coordinator for Iraqi affairs told a meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that initial work on the review would be done by the end of the month.


Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, said the slow pace of the work was exasperating and urged the State Department to "get on with it."

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&ncid=584&e=6&u=/nm/20040722/pl_nm/iraq_usa_congress_dc

[LittleApple81]

1. All this is pure bullshit. Iraq is TOTALLY FUBAR. Any more money

we dump there is going to be going to our friendly contractors.

[Parche]

2. iraq

And I-5 is crumbling

Our schools are crumbling


Our roads are cracking


When is America going to get aid?