No Pakistan Bill Until After the Recess WOOO SPRING BREAK

Hill sources are saying that the Kerry-Lugar bill pushed by the Obama administration to bolster Pakistani civilian governance won’t be introduced until after the congressional recess that begins tomorrow. The bill would authorize about $7.5 billion over five years to the non-military sectors of the Pakistani government and civil society, and conditionalize military aid on the Pakistani army combating al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in the western part of the country. Yesterday, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the bill was “of enormous importance” to the administration’s Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy.

Now the earliest the bill could be introduced is Monday, March April 20, the first day back from spring break. More to come about what the holdup is.