The U.S. House of Representatives has rejected two amendments by votes to cut the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) assistance for Pakistan.
In the annual Defence Appropriations Act for the financial year 2017, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii and Congressman Ted Poe of Texas moved an amendment to cut the CSF from $900 million to $700million for Islamabad, reports Dawn.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher also submitted a separate amendment calling for ending all CSF assistance for Pakistan.
The U.S. House of Representatives had in May approved $900million Coalition Support Fund outlay for Pakistan as part of the annual Defence Authorisation Bill.
Both amendments were rejected by voice vote, but it was resorted to a recorded vote after both the Congressmen insisted on it.
The amendment moved by Poe and Gabbard was defeated by 230 to 19, while Rohrabacher's amendment was defeated by 336-84.
The Coalition Support Fund was set up to fund Washington's allies for their efforts in fighting against terrorism.
The fund links Pakistan with Afghanistan, but the U.S. Senate last week passed a bill proposing a separate fund of $800million for assisting Islamabad.
The new proposal separates Islamabad from Kabul while recognising that the former has its own strategic importance.
However, the old arrangement is still being worked on by the Congress, which would soon expire, requiring it to work out a new arrangement. The new arrangement has to be approved by both the Senate and the House.
