Obama’s $5 Billion Counterterrorism Fund Already in Trouble in Congress by Josh Rogin, The Daily Beast
… A White House fact sheet distributed Wednesday said the fund would be used for three tasks: expanding the training and equipping of foreign militaries, bolstering the counterterrorism capabilities of allies, and supporting efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorism ideology.
That’s not going to be enough clarity for a Congress that is already skeptical of the administration’s approach to counterterrorism and inclined against granting President Obama the authority to spend billions of taxpayer dollars in a tight fiscal environment, said Gordon Adams, who served as the top national security budget official in the Clinton White House.
“It’s a mystery fund. It’s sadly typical that they haven’t worked through the details. The worst thing is to announce an initiative and never to have told the committees of jurisdiction,” he said. “Congress’s instinctive reaction when surprised is to rise up in resistance.” …