AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — President Barack Obama says his administration is working with Congress to provide Jordan with an additional $200 million in aid this year.
Jordan's economic troubles have been made worse by the influx of more than 450,000 refugees fleeing the civil war across the border in neighboring Syria. The Syrians are crowding refugee camps in Jordan and overwhelming aid agencies run by the important U.S. ally in the Middle East.
The United States already is the largest single donor of humanitarian aid for the Syrian people.
Obama said Friday that the extra money, if approved by Congress, will help provide more humanitarian assistance and basic services.
He made the announcement during a news conference in Amman, Jordan, with King Abdullah II.
Hi is Timothy Geithner in?
The president.
Of the United states, Barack Obama
Yes, I will.
Hi Tim, I have a bit of a problem, maybe you can help me out, do you care if I call you Tim? I saw you shootin hoops the other day, good eye.
Great, well, I kinda promised, aw, well, I was chatting with King Abdullah of Jordan, and well, I guess I got carried away and promised him I would send him a little money to help out.
What, how much, well, it was two hundred million, can you do that for me, Tim?
What do you mean we don't have any money in the treasury?
What the hell is 'creative accounting?"
We haven't had any since when?
How do you pay out all this other stuff?
That's it, just print more, and that works, "creative accounting", that has a ring to it.
Well, I missed a few accounting courses in college, well, actually, we don't want it out, but I really goofed off a lot in college, you know, young, full of vim and vigor ..........
Well, yea, that too, a little smoke ........ we'll call it.
OK, back to business, can you use your "creative accounting" and find a couple hundred million to send off to Abdullah, let's kinda keep this between ourselves.
OK, Tim. I don't want everyone to think I'm not "fiscally responsible," I think that's what Pelosi called it. What the hell does that mean, anyway, I wasn't too good in English, either.
