House jabs Saudi Arabia in foreign aid bill - Yahoo! News

House jabs Saudi Arabia in foreign aid bill - Yahoo! News: "Fri Jun 9, 3:17 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Friday took a symbolic jab at Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of fueling religious extremism and violence, as it passed a $21.3 billion foreign aid bill.
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The bill for next fiscal year, which is $600 million above the current level but $2.4 billion less than
President George W. Bush sought, cleared the House easily on a 373-34 vote. The Senate has not yet taken up its version of the bill.

Decrying Saudi Arabia for teaching intolerance and financing terrorism, lawmakers voted 312-97 to cut the $420,000 the oil-rich kingdom receives to participate in U.S.-backed military and counter-terrorism training.

'I hope my colleagues send a strong signal symbolically that enough is enough,' said Rep. Joseph Crowley (news, bio, voting record), a New York Democrat."