Peaceteam.net & The Huffington Post & thinkprogress & The Washington Post & the Daily Kos – 2015-10-24 01:45:07
http://www.peaceteam.net
A Fact the Benghazi Committee Ignored:
The GOP’s Decision to Cut Embassy Security Budget by $300 Million
The Peaceteam
WASHINGTON, DC (October 23, 2015) — The culprit ultimately responsible for the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi is in the Benghazi hearing room. Except it is the side doing the grilling. Here is the action page:
Petition: Grill The Benghazi Security Budget Cutters:
Here is the rest of the petition text:
The real reason why our embassies were inadequately defended is that House Republicans voted to CUT $300 million from the request of the Obama administration for embassy security, because their higher priorites were more tax giveaways to the ultra rich.
We suppose their real complaint is that Hillary Clinton was not personally there with a knife in her teeth to fight off the terrorists.
It’s time to call to testify each and every Republican who voted to shortchange our diplomats, and who are still desperately trying to point the finger somewhere else.
Note: The Petition link is broken, a Google search can find no other links, and the PeaceTeam’s email link apparently has been disabled. – EAW.
Chaffetz ‘Absolutely’ Voted To Cut Funding For Embassy Security
ThinkProgress
WASHINGTON, DC (October 10, 2012) – Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) said today that he voted to cut funding for US… diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya that was attacked last month.
Benghazi attack followed deep cuts in State Department …
The Washington Times
WASHINGTON, DC (September 27, 2012) – Benghazi attack followed deep cuts in State Department security budget … The cuts to the embassy construction, security and maintenance budget was almost 10 percent ….. Romney and Ryan are all about cutting spending.
Jason Chaffetz Admits House GOP Cut Funding For Embassy Security: ‘You Have To Prioritize Things’
Sarah Bufki / The Huffington Post
WASHINGTON, DC (October 10, 2012) – Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) acknowledged on Wednesday that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majority in 2010.
On Wednesday morning, CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien asked the Utah Republican if he had “voted to cut the funding for embassy security.”
“Absolutely,” Chaffetz said. “Look we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have…15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there, for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.â€
For the past two years, House Republicans have continued to deprioritize the security forces protecting State Department personnel around the world. In fiscal year 2011, lawmakers shaved $128 million off of the administration’s request for embassy security funding. House Republicans drained off even more funds in fiscal year 2012 — cutting back on the department’s request by $331 million.
Consulate personnel stationed in Benghazi had allegedly expressed concerns over their safety in the months leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks that killed four Americans, including Amb. Chris Stevens. Chaffetz and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, claim those concerns were ignored.
“It seems to be a coordinated effort between the White House and the State Department, from Secretary [Hillary] Clinton to President Obama’s White House,” Chaffetz told Fox and Friends on Tuesday.
Chaffetz and Issa co-signed a letter to the State Department, demanding answers on to the Benghazi security detail. State Department officials and other witnesses will testify before the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations on Wednesday.
Ahead of the hearing, some Democrats claim that partisanship and campaigning are corrupting the Libyan investigation, The New York Times reports. The charges come as some GOP members attempt to frame the incident as a failure of the Obama’s foreign policy and to call criticize the administration for engaging in a “cover-up” of what really occurred.
Republicans Slashed Diplomatic
Security Budget, Still Trying to Cut More
The Daily Kos
WASHINGTON, DC (May 9, 2013) – About the only merit conservatives have in their Benghazi hysteria is the notion that security was inadequate at our diplomatic mission in that city. Unfortunately, it’s an inadequacy Republicans have been trying to exacerbate over the last year.
[A]s part of the Republican majority that has controlled the House the last two years, Mr. Issa joined in cutting nearly a half-billion dollars from the State Department’s two main security accounts.
One covers things like security staffing, including local guards, armored vehicles and security technology; the other, embassy construction and upgrades. In 2011 and 2012, President Obama sought a total of $5 billion, and the House approved $4.5 billion.
Utah teabagging Rep. Jason Chaffetz has been a leading proponent of Benghazi conspiracy theories, yet even he isn’t shy to proclaim his votes against diplomatic security:
O’BRIEN: Is it true that you voted to cut the funding for embassy security?
CHAFFETZ: Absolutely. Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country.
Their priorities have consequences. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton (among others) had long warned Republicans that they were weakening national security by cutting, well, security. Back in February of 2011:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emerged from a meeting with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) sharply critical of proposed Republican cuts to the State Department budget, warning they “will be detrimental to America’s national security.”
Republicans shrugged off the criticism. They had just won control of the House, it was time make some changes. And those changes included cutting the sort of security that might’ve prevented the Benghazi disaster.
How about Republicans investigate that?
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