Clinton to vouch for $83B war supplemental

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is to testify before a House appropriations subcommittee Thursday as the debate about President Obama’s Afghanistan policy kicks into gear.

Clinton will testify about Obama’s $83.4 billion war supplemental before the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee. The budget covers continuing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

{mosads}Her testimony likely will focus on the diplomacy side of the request. Obama’s request contains $7.1 billion that would go to diplomatic efforts and foreign aid, including $1.6 billion for Afghanistan, $1.4 billion for Pakistan and $700 million for Iraq.

The supplemental request, once the primary focus of lawmakers trying to end the war in Iraq, has won support from key Democratic and Republican leaders. But some staunchly anti-war lawmakers have said they oppose Obama’s Afghanistan plan because it represents a potentially unending military commitment.

Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of both conflicts, is expected to testify before a closed hearing Wednesday and an open hearing Friday.