The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved President Obama’s $128 billion request to fund the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan for the coming fiscal year. The vote comes as top Democratic lawmakers have voiced new skepticism about a potential troop increase in Afghanistan. In an interview with the New York Times, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin said he opposes a troop increase until the US improves the training of Afghan forces. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested she would oppose sending more US troops to Afghanistan.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “September 24th is fraught with meaning for us. This is the date, according to the supplemental, that the metrics as to what’s going in Afghanistan are to be reported to Congress. I’m more interested in that report. I hope that we will be briefed on the McChrystal [assessment] when the President receives it. Perhaps next week we will see that. I don’t think there’s a great deal of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan, in the country or in the Congress.”