On May 27th, Senate Democrats led the effort to pass a bipartisan supplemental appropriations bill that funds key counterterrorism and national security missions and supports disaster recovery initiatives by a vote of 67 to 28. The bill provides a total of $58.96 billion in emergency funding for Fiscal Year 2010 in support of ongoing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the addition of 30,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan as well as $2.6 billion for the Afghan Security Forces Fund and $1 billion for the Iraqi Security Forces Fund; more than $5.5 billion for continued and emerging disaster relief and recovery initiatives for affected communities across the United States; $2.8 billion to support relief efforts in Haiti; and $68 million in initial disaster response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The following Fact Sheet outlines the key investments of the legislation.
The supplemental bill provides a total of $32.8 billion in funding, as requested, for the Department of Defense (DoD) for operations, personnel costs, and equipment related primarily to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, but also in support of ongoing operations and continued drawdown efforts in Iraq.
Providing our troops with the resources and tools they need to fulfill their missions. Funding provided in the bill will ensure that our forces engaged in critical national security missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have the most effective weaponry, communications, and other equipment they need on the battlefield. It fully funds key readiness programs necessary to prepare military forces for combat operations and other missions and also funds vital initiatives that support our forces in theater, including high priority intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
Protecting our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The supplemental bill ensures that our deployed service members are armed with the best force protection equipment available. It provides a total of $1.1 billion for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and funds key upgrades to equipment and detection systems to safeguard troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The bill also supports the Army’s Ground Standoff Mine Detection System for convoy protection and road clearing in Afghanistan and fully funds the Special Operations Command’s requirement for additional protective equipment.
Ensure our troops are provided first-rate care and services. The supplemental bill provides $1.8 billion for military personnel, including special pay and allowances, for Active, Reserve, and Guard troops activated for duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other contingency operations. It also includes $33.4 million for the Defense Health Program.
The supplemental bill ensures that our ongoing counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan are fully-resourced, providing additional funding to address the costs of increasing military and intelligence operations and also supporting bolstered diplomacy and development efforts.
Regaining the momentum against the Taliban through an integrated civil-military strategy. The bill fully funds the addition of 30,000 military personnel in Afghanistan, as announced by President Obama in December. These forces are critical for targeting the insurgency and securing key population centers, and also will allow for accelerated training of the Afghan Security Forces. As the President, General McChrystal and top national security officials have underscored, these enhanced military operations are part of a comprehensive strategy in Afghanistan that combines military, intelligence, diplomatic, and development efforts.
Bolstering the Afghan Security Forces to lead a sustained fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda. The supplemental bill includes $2.6 billion to train and equip the Afghan National Army and Police Forces and to assist the Afghan government in assuming greater responsibility for its security. In the words of Secretary Gates, “successfully accomplishing the training mission represents both our exit strategy and the key for long-term stability in Afghanistan.”[1]
Enhancing development assistance for Afghanistan and Pakistan to promote long-term economic development and confront the resurgence of the Taliban and other terrorist threats.
The supplemental bill supports the President’s strategy to responsibly drawdown U.S. combat forces from Iraq, focus on training and counterterrorism missions, and promote the transition of security and governance responsibility to Iraqis. It provides $1 billion to train and equip the Iraqi Security Forces Fund and assist the Iraqi government in assuming greater security responsibility; $650 million in security assistance funding, including $400 million for the Iraqi police program; and $1 billion for diplomatic and security operations. Further, the bill supports ongoing diplomatic, economic development, and governance initiatives vital to fostering sustainable security and political reconciliation. It also includes a provision to extend the requirement that U.S. assistance be matched by the Iraqi government.
The bill includes several provisions to enhance oversight of Department of Defense acquisition programs as well as U.S. assistance activities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, and also puts in place effective oversight measures for U.S. relief efforts in Haiti. It strengthens reporting requirements and provides additional funds to bolster the capacity of Department of Defense, Department of State, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Inspectors General in order to ensure greater accountability and increased protections against fraud and wasteful spending. Notably, it includes provisions for improving contract oversight and management of the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund and Pakistani assistance programs.
The supplemental bill addresses significant shortfalls in disaster relief accounts that are critical for addressing past disasters and also responding to recent disasters across our country. The bill provides $5.1 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund, as requested, to pay for known costs from previous disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Gustav, the 2008 Midwest floods, and the California wildfires, as well as for needs that emerge from new disasters. In addition to this funding, the bill provides more than $425 million in disaster assistance not included in the President’s initial request, critical to responding to the many natural disasters that have impacted communities across the country in recent months, including the floods in Tennessee, tornadoes in the mid-West and South, and storms in the northeast. Without these emergency funds, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund would have been exhausted later this month, leaving FEMA unable to pay claims for Presidentially-declared disasters, both old and new, and leaving impacted communities without the resources needed to clean-up and rebuild in the aftermath of these natural disasters.
The supplemental bill includes $2.8 billion in funding to support critical relief and recovery efforts in Haiti following the January earthquake. It provides $913 million in international security funding and bilateral economic assistance for humanitarian, relief and reconstruction, and law enforcement and peacekeeping initiatives. The bill also includes $465 million for International Disaster Assistance to respond to humanitarian emergencies; funding to cancel existing debts owed by Haiti and support for U.S. Treasury Department programs to strengthen the country’s financial system; $79 million for urgent Embassy security costs; and $96.5 million for increased peacekeeping assessments for the U.N. mission in Haiti.
The bill includes funding required for initial response to the devastating effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, the bill provides $29 million for the Department of Interior to fund inspections, enforcement, and studies for determining the causes and impacts of the spill; $10 million to the Department of Justice for related litigation and enforcement; $13 million to mitigate the economic impact of the oil spill on fishermen and fishery-dependent businesses; $33 million for NOAA response efforts, including $15 million for fishery disaster relief activities, $10 million for an expanded stock assessment of fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico, and $7 million for activities that support the agency’s response to the oil spill; $5 million for economic adjustment assistance programs for strategic planning and technical assistance to regions affected by the oil spill; $2 million for the FDA to enhance its seafood inspection capabilities; and $2 million for the EPA, as well as $1 million for the National Academy of Sciences to study the long-term risks and impacts to the ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico.