Not Another Bailout

Senate Democrats have attached a $108 Billion bailout for the International Monetary Fund to the War Supplemental.

The Supplemental (HR 2346) passed the House 368-60. It gained wide Republican support because the monies were going to the troops though it did have some opposition from the anti-war left.

But now, everything has changed. Senate Democrats have junked up a perfectly reasonable bill with goodies for the IMF – which could benefit state sponsors of terrorism, like Iran.

On Thursday, Virginia’s own Eric Cantor had a few words with Majority Whip, Steny Hoyer about this prospect:

CANTOR: Mr. Speaker, even further, we understand that in this provision in the bill, in essence we would be providing for more money for foreign countries in terms of a global bailout than we would be for our own troops…

And the even more troubling part to many of us, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that the IMF program allows eligibility for countries like Iran, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Burma and others.

You can see more of Canter & Hoyer’s exchange on The Hill’s blog. Apparently, even Hezbollah is interested in getting credit through the IMF and, for some reason, Cantor thinks that could be a problem. Wonder why he would find that inappropriate? maybe because this bill is supposed to be about funding our troops – not our enemies?

Republicans ought not be so willing to support the bill now that it contains a world bailout on the taxpayers dime – Boehner has said he’ll vote NO this time around. And the far left thinks the IMF is mean to poor people plus they don’t support war funding in the first place (witness Naiman’s rant on the HuffPost).

It will be embarrassing to Nancy and Harry if they can’t manage to pass the President’s request for funding the troops – but that’s just what could happen if Republicans insist on a clean bill by voting down the IMF bailout and enough radical leftists vote against personal protective equipment for the troops.

The bill could be up first thing next week and Members of Congress from military districts here in the Commonwealth may find it a tough vote: should they vote against the IMF bailout or make sure war funding passes without further ado?

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About the author

E M Barner

E M Barner, the blogger formerly known as DCH / De Civitate Hominis (“concerning the city of man”), writes from a Northern Virginia perspective. Barner has been active in Republican politics and policy since 1994 – as a grassroots volunteer, party leader, and professional.