Since 2002, the United States has given the government of Pakistan a staggering $22 billion in foreign aid. This year alone, Pakistan is scheduled to receive more than $2.4 billion in U.S. foreign aid, on top of additional funds for reimbursements for Pakistani expenditures related to fighting terrorism in the region.

Pakistan is a country mired in corruption, has extremist tendencies, is politically unstable, and has nuclear weapons. Pakistan has been a difficult partner in the war against terrorism, but the United States has no choice but to continue to make the best of our relationship with them, given that many of our military supply lines, necessary to support our forces in Afghanistan, go through Pakistan and require the cooperation of that government. In addition, terrorist organizations like al Qaeda and the Taliban find sanctuary in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan and the United States has had limited success in working with the Pakistani government in pursuing them.

Unfortunately, there has been a growing pattern of incidents whereby elements within the Pakistani government have blocked cooperation between our two countries. In recent congressional testimony given by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, he publicly accused the Pakistani’s intelligence agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, of providing strategic support for an affiliate organization of the Taliban called the Haqqani Network. In his testimony Admiral Mullen said, “The support of terrorism is part of their national strategy. … And that’s got to stop.”

The Pakistani government can’t have it both ways. They can’t continue to be a major recipient of U.S. foreign aid while, at the same time, helping the Taliban and other terror groups associated with al Qaeda.

Because of the lack of cooperation from the Government of Pakistan in the war against terrorism and their conflicting objectives in Afghanistan which have resulted in rising tensions between the U. S. and Pakistan, I have decided to go forward with legislation that will end all U.S. economic aid to Pakistan and condition all U.S. military aid to them on certification that they are not opposing our efforts in the region.

No doubt, the U.S. economic aid Pakistan receives has not had its intended purpose in terms of strengthening U.S.-Pakistani ties. In fact, it is arguable that the opposite has been true in that as the humanitarian aid has increased to over $2 billion in the last two years, so has the hostility of the Pakistani government toward the United States in both their rhetoric and their actions.

Under my legislation, military aid would be immediately suspended until the Obama administration can certify that the government of Pakistan is fully cooperating with the United States when it comes to conducting military operations against the Taliban, al Qaeda, and the other radical Islamic organizations engaged in terrorist operations.

As a combat veteran, I know that as long as we have U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan that it would be irresponsible for the U.S. to completely eliminate all military aid to Pakistan. We still have an obligation to make sure that they end their covert support for the Taliban and that U.S. military aid must be effectively used by the Pakistanis to fight the same radical Islamic forces in Pakistan that continue to plan and execute attacks against U.S. targets.

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman serves Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Douglas and Elbert counties and parts of Arapahoe, Jefferson and Park counties.