Section 7008 of the Foreign Operations Bill reads: "None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any assistance to the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup or decree."
How can Congress say how the Obama/Clinton State Department does or doesn't get to aid a foreign country? Doesn't the State Department have the right to determine foreign policy? Isn't that purely an executive branch function? How is this restriction any less (or MORE) constitutional than the one about World Bank / IMF funding that Obama disavowed?
Since I haven't mentioned it yet, this is specifically in reference to previously-appropriated funding that might have to be cut off if the recent coup in Honduras is determined to trigger this section.
But, of course, the question must arise, HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE for anybody to notice that OF COURSE this coup triggers this section?? WTF ARE THEY STILL DITHERING ABOUT??
The provisions rejected in the WB/IMF signing statement had the property that they
would compel the Obama administration to pressure the World Bank to strengthen labor and environmental standards and require the Treasury department to report to Congress on the activities of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
So, lemme get this straight: if Congress says you have to just nicely ask them to do the right thing before the money can be spent, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE
because it's limiting your negotiating options, but if Congress says you have to confirm that THEY'RE NOT A BUNCH OF ILLEGITIMATE THUGS, that's ALLOWED?? This is completely disproportionate and backwards.
The tenor of the signing statement makes it seem to be about negotiation, but it's actually, JUST LIKE the (potentially) suspended aid, about APPROPRIATION, since these sections involved money being appropriated to the World Bank and the IMF.
A little consistency would go a long way, but I'm not holding my breath.