Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the International Development and Foreign Assistance Subcommittee, today urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to push for greater levels of accountability with partner governments and institutions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries engaged in the fight against terrorism.  Speaking at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Cardin talked about the resources we are supplying in the region:

“As we withdraw our military and shift toward a more robust civilian presence in the region, the U.S. must insist on accountability for our foreign aid, even among countries that we have a national strategic interest. Pakistan, for example, represents a real challenge for us. We want to engage the government as a partner in the regional fight against terrorists, but there is ample evidence they are funding terrorist organizations and often oppose some of the values most important to Americans – democracy, transparency and the protection of human rights. We’re not sure if they want to fight extremists, or if they want to fight Americans.  Before we commit even more U.S. resources to this activity, we must reconcile how this fits in with and advances our strategic goals.” 

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