GOP's Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Wants Oversight of Taxpayer Spending in Afghanistan

Jan. 25, 2011— -- Congress' new House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is planning to bring greater oversight to aid and reconstruction in Afghanistan -- a prospect that could ultimately change the president's Afghan War strategy by scaling back funding for U.S. civilian efforts there.

In the face of a record $14 trillion national debt, Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., plans to examine spending on civilian aid and reconstruction in Afghanistan, which has cost U.S. taxpayers $56 billion since 2002.

"Oversight is going to be a major focus of the chairwoman," Ros-Lehtinen's communications director for the committee, Brad Goehner, said, adding that the recent resignation of special auditor for Afghan reconstruction Arnold Fields "obviously illustrates how extraordinarily important it is to have proper oversight."

Goehner said the chairwoman plans to step up the committee's role in oversight of U.S. programs in Afghanistan via hearings, and by working closely with the new special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction, who has yet to be appointed. But no decisions on funding would be made without consulting commanders on the ground, he said.

Last month, Ros-Lehtinen issued a statement saying she had identified and will propose a number of cuts to the State Department and Foreign Aid budgets.

"All of the programs that we implement regarding foreign aid all need to reflect the reality that our current economy faces," Goehner said.

Aides to the committee's former chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., agreed that there needs to be reform and oversight, but said Congress' international affairs budget is too small to make nothing more than a dent in the deficit if reduced.

So far, Democratic aides say, they have not seen specific amounts, and are unsure whether the cuts would be to personnel, funds for the embassy, programs, or whether any proposed cuts would come through a bill or the appropriations process.

One aide said that cutting funds for aid and reconstruction in Afghanistan would be "detrimental to what we achieve there."

Successful counterinsurgency theory calls for aid and reconstruction as the other half to a military campaign: As the military pursues victory on the battlefield, civilian advisers and aid workers win the hearts and minds of civilians, who then align with pro-government forces against the insurgents.