Plan B » US will give $70 Million Aid to Pakistan

DollyLongstaff · 10/25/2015 6:35 am

America will give $70 million in aid to Pakistan to provide adequate education and health care for some 200,000 adolescent girls in the country, first lady Michelle Obama has announced.

"Building on Pakistan's commitment to double education spending, the US will be investing $70 million to educate adolescent girls in Pakistan," Michelle said at a WH event she hosted for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife, on Thursday.

Earlier reports stated the FLOTUS took it upon herself to pledged the money to Pakistan.

The WH corrected those reports in a statement confirming that the first lady has no authority to pledge money on the American peoples' behalf. She was simply making an announcement of the pledge at what was considered an appropriate time, an event held in honor of the Pakistani Prime Minister's wife Kalsoom Nawaz.

Last edited by DollyLongstaff (10/25/2015 6:39 am)

MamaSqu · 10/25/2015 7:53 am

That takes nerve. Where does she get off pledging money that this government can't afford to give to a situation that is not directly going to prosper the American people? Any bets as to whether or not her husband agrees to it?

Dori · 10/25/2015 7:53 am

Doesnt surprise me at all!! Heres more! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/20/36-million-afghanistan-waste_n_7346858.html

No worries ,we can just take more money from the"entitlements" the poor and elderly enjoy in this country! What about Halibutan and the missing billions during Bushes reign! Did Congress ever investigate??? I'm sure if anyone wants to check our friend Google ,you will see much more! Politicans and their friends make a killing and people in need in this country only hear " we cant afford it" ! Cut food stamps , Cut disabilty ,cut Hud,!We cant afford free health care like all the other countries have! This is why I cant discuss politics ! The best con artists you'll ever meet!

Dori · 10/25/2015 7:59 am

MamaSqu wrote:
That takes nerve. Where does she get off pledging money that this government can't afford to give to a situation that is not directly going to prosper the American people? Any bets as to whether or not her husband agrees to it?

Nope! The only time I heard the President mention the word poverty and the needy in this country was standing next to the Pope! Its always the middle class! Well how many who started out middle class are now in poverty! Just saying!

needtosay · 10/25/2015 8:53 am

Like the President said the first Lady does not have the authority to pledge any money to anyone. She was just making the announcement. The President ran on helping the poor Dori. The first time he ran his platform was full of plans to expand welfare programs to reach more people. Helping the poor has always been his focus. It is the middle class that has been forgotten. Democrats champion the poor and repubicans champion big business and the wealthy.

Dori · 10/25/2015 9:15 am

I understand everything you posted! But it didnt happen in 8 years! more cuts have been implimented! so much for helping! I'm only speaking of this one issue and money being wasted in other countries ,while claiming were broke and the people who need it the most are getting less! And I know Michelle has no authority to pledge any money!

Last edited by Dori (10/25/2015 9:17 am)

needtosay · 10/25/2015 9:22 am

That is in large part due to our GOP controlled legislative branch. They are the ones who are making the cuts. They control the purse strings. The other thing is governors who opted out of ACA had to cut their welfare rolls because their forfieted federal money by doing so. That happened in my state. The governor had to remove a lot of people from medicaid and food stamps.

Dori · 10/25/2015 9:35 am

So what your telling me is the President has no power!How did Clinton manage to get more people off welfare yet still help the ones that needed it most! All I'm saying is the bill passed cutting food stamps for the next 10 years! Are they serious? Foods going up and food stamps are being cut! I didnt hear any opposition from the President! Cuts all over the place! I'm sorry that I dont believe the rhetoric they spew to get elected,Words mean nothing ,action is what I watch for!

Caribou · 10/25/2015 9:37 am

It doesn't surprise me Need that you would find a way to blame the GOP when this is about the President giving $70 million to Pakistan. Obama could fiscally take food right out of a baby's mouth and you would blame Republicans.

I agree Dori, I'm so sick of hearing about the amount of money going to other countries, especially for education. You can bet there are well more than 200,000 American girls that would love to get the education to become a doctor or nurse or teacher or whatever their heart's desire.

needtosay · 10/25/2015 9:42 am

I think he has limited power. Congress decides what to budget all the programs. They have cut them all saying we need to cut down on spending. The GOP has successfully shut Obama down. The budget cuts are not what Obama wanted but what the GOP wanted. He does have the choice of signing he budget bill but the fact is he had to accept what they were offering because we needed a budget to keep us from once again going over the cliff.

needtosay · 10/25/2015 9:47 am

Caribou, I am hearing about the 70 million for the first time this morning. I really don't know enough about that to really comment on it. I don't know if I think it was a good thing or not. I would love to know how he found the money to do that. Like where it came from. Didn't the GOP have to approve it? My comments were about the cuts to the programs in our country. That responsibility does lie squarely on the shoulders of the congress. They are the ones who present a budget and decide funding. They control the purse. If Obama had his way those programs wouldn't be cut they would be expanded. He in fact did expand food stamps early in his first term.

Dori · 10/25/2015 9:56 am

Exactly,Caribou! once people get their opinion on something ,they dont want to accept logic! Why cant folks be more objective on issues?? Not everyone is all wrong and everyone is all right! Ive paid strict attention to this but haven't said anything!I'm on a fixed in come way below poverty level ,as it is today ,so its something that affects me in my life! I do not believe everything I hear only what I know to be true! Then and only then I will post! He lets things go thru and therefore hes not responsible?? No ,I dont see it that way! I'll give you an example(Altho I hate to put my personal buisness on here). Lets talk about heat for seniors! There was a time heat was tuned off in the middle of winter ,many seniors were dying ,Clinton stopped this ,made it so heat could not be turned off in winter ,no matter what! My income is the same within a dollar or two,Ive recieved 350 dollars towards my gas bill for the year! gas went up ,my income stayed the same and I recieved 112 dollars last year! Those are my statistics ,what I know to be true! Along with a lot of other things! So excuse me if I dont want to hear what he ran on!

Dori · 10/25/2015 10:01 am

needtosay wrote:
Caribou, I am hearing about the 70 million for the first time this morning. I really don't know enough about that to really comment on it. I don't know if I think it was a good thing or not. I would love to know how he found the money to do that. Like where it came from. Didn't the GOP have to approve it? My comments were about the cuts to the programs in our country. That responsibility does lie squarely on the shoulders of the congress. They are the ones who present a budget and decide funding. They control the purse. If Obama had his way those programs wouldn't be cut they would be expanded. He in fact did expand food stamps early in his first term.

really?? excuse this dumb question but does he not have veto power? I was under the impression that they didnt want Obama care passed so how did that happen? Seems to me if its important to him ,its a different story! Nope he doesnt get a pass on the subject of poor! Food stamps were raised ,must have forgotten me! You know this to be a fact or did you read it???

needtosay · 10/25/2015 10:12 am

Yes the president does have veto power but they push it to the very last minute and he is left with either approving it or letting us go over the cliff. We still don't really have a budget. We just have a temporary one that only lasts a short while. They have him between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the budget. I did google this pledge. Michelle Obama has spearheaded an Initiative called "Let Girls Learn Initiative". They have collect over 800 million in pledges from a small group of countries. Still not sure where the 70 million that the US pledged came from. Couldn't find anything on that.

needtosay · 10/25/2015 10:15 am

Dori, I said he expanded food stamps to reach more people early in his first term. It is true and varifiable.

AdminShiny · 10/25/2015 11:06 am

Every budget allots a certain amount of foreign aid. This money was already earmarked for the purpose of helping third world nations. This particular amount of money has been designated to go the the Let Girls Learn initiative, which is led by the US government and involves the DoS, USAID, Peace Corps. If the money didn't go to this cause, it would still be going to aid places other than the US.

Arguing whether or not this is a good cause isn't the point. Your anger should be directed at the congress that sets billions of dollars for foreign aid. This is nothing new.

needtosay · 10/25/2015 11:11 am

That is what I was thinking shiny. The money comes from the foreign aid fund. Let Girls Learn is an initiative spearheaded by Michelle Obama though not by our government. Our government pledged 70 million to the intiative and the money that Pakistan gets will come from that fund that has now accumulated over 800 million from 4 different countries so far.

Last edited by needtosay (10/25/2015 11:19 am)

needtosay · 10/25/2015 11:32 am

Correction! Let Girls Run was an intiative launched by both President and Michelle Obama.

needtosay · 10/25/2015 11:41 am

You were right on another count Shiny. It is a government initiative. whitehouse.gov has a great write up explaining what it is about.

DollyLongstaff · 10/26/2015 7:47 am

needtosay wrote:
That is what I was thinking shiny. The money comes from the foreign aid fund. Let Girls Learn is an initiative spearheaded by Michelle Obama though not by our government. Our government pledged 70 million to the intiative and the money that Pakistan gets will come from that fund that has now accumulated over 800 million from 4 different countries so far.

Thanks for including this information.
"Some" were implying that Michelle took it upon herself to pledge $70 mil to Pakistan, which of course is a lie.
Will they ever stop bashing?