SURPRISE!

Hurricanes leave billions
in Israel aid untouched

Israel aid unscathed in GOP group’s proposal
JTA,  Tel Aviv   Sunday, 25 September 2005


WASHINGTON—Funding for Israel would remain untouched in cuts proposed by conservative Republicans in the wake of recent hurricanes. Funding for Egypt, Africa, the AIDS initiative and the Peace Corps would take hits under a Republican Study Committee document, obtained by JTA, that breaks down offsets into several categories, including foreign aid. Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. aid, receiving more than $2.5 billion a year,* but is not on the list for cuts.

Egypt, the second biggest recipient with $1.8 billion a year, would lose $12 million in 2006 and $400 million over the next five years, according to the proposal, because its “democratic development has been extremely limited and its human rights record remains poor,” according to the document prepared by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the chairman of RSC, an 86-member conservative caucus in the House of Representatives.

 

*It's closer to $6 billion, with all the hidden perks and add-ons