{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://nolan.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/house-passes-nolan-defense-amendment-to-eliminate-funds-for-afghanistan", "House Passes Nolan Defense Amendment to Eliminate Funds for Afghanistan Infrastructure", "2014-12-09", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Rick Nolan", "N000127", "nolan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] The U.S. House today passed (300-119) the $585 billion bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, including two amendments by U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan \u2013 one that cuts off all U.S. funds for the reconstruction in Afghanistan, and another that requires the Secretary of Defense to verify that any new Afghan construction project costing $1 million or more will be closely monitored by U.S. personnel to prevent fraud and abuse.\nThe Overseas Contingency Fund \u2013 the pool of money from which Afghanistan reconstruction funds are taken \u2013 constitutes a pipeline of about $66 billion \u2013 enough, Nolan pointed out, to fund the state of Minnesota for two years.\u00a0\n\u201cThese amendments are a huge step toward ending nation building abroad and using our tax dollars to help create good paying jobs here at home for people who will show up for work every day. We need to rebuild our own infrastructure \u2013 our roads, bridges, airports, harbors, schools and public buildings,\u201d Nolan said.\u00a0\nAdded Nolan: \u201cSince 2002, our government has spent more than $100 billion on construction and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, some $60 billion of which the Special Inspector General can not account for. Afghanistan has no reliable banking system. Fraud and abuse are rampant, with story after story of bails of cash disappearing into the hands of corrupt officials, warlords and criminals.\u201d\nNolan said some $725 million in ongoing Afghan construction projects currently fall outside U.S. inspection zones, and cannot be monitored.\u00a0 He pointed out that in 2009, U.S. government personnel in charge of auditing and inspecting reconstruction projects had access to more than 68 percent of the total area of Afghanistan. Today, that access has dwindled to less than 21 percent, and is shrinking rapidly as U.S. forces draw down and Taliban control continues to grow.\nThe bill now goes to the Senate for final consideration, probably next week.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://nolan.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/house-passes-nolan-defense-amendment-to-eliminate-funds-for-afghanistan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.185971010476351, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}