Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just returned from a trip to the Afghanistan region. Today, she appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss the diplomatic and development strategies in Afghanistan and Pakistan and her agency's plans for U.S. involvement in North Africa.
Committee members questioned her on the reduction of U.S. aid to Pakistan. Sec. Clinton has previously stated that cutting foreign aid to the region. "Walking away from them [Pakistan]," she said, "would undermine our interests." Some congressional Republicans have proposed, would be "a grave mistake."
Hearing also covers decision to withdraw from Iraq, Israel-Palestine relations, Russia, India and Cuba.
Over the summer, the Secretary testified to Congress that the U.S. is in the preliminary stages of diplomatic outreach to the Taliban in an effort to find a political solution to the war in Afghanistan, saying reconciliation is "not a pleasant business, but a necessary one." She also spoke in full support of President Obama's plan to bring home 33,000 troops by September 2012.