WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic Representative John Murtha, chairman of the House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee who exercised enormous influence on defense issues, died on Monday.

Murtha, 77, died peacefully at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington with his family by his side, a statement from his office said. He had been hospitalized recently with complications related to gallbladder surgery.

As the top Democrat on the House panel that oversaw defense appropriations, Murtha wielded big clout in the Democratic-majority Congress, making decisions affecting billions of dollars in Pentagon spending.

But he also stunned his fellow hawks in 2005 by urging a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, transforming the debate over the 2003 invasion launched during the administration of former President George W. Bush and making opposition to the war a respectable conservative position.

Murtha, a former Marine, had served in the House since 1974, when voters in working-class Johnstown, Pennsylvania, made him the first Vietnam war veteran elected to the chamber.

He was a close associate of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and his impact on U.S. military matters was noted on Monday by President Barack Obama and Pentagon chief Robert Gates.

But analysts said his party could have problems retaining the seat in November’s election now that Murtha is gone.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The retired general whose opposition deflected the last serious bid to let homosexuals serve openly in the U.S. military, Colin Powell, reversed himself on Wednesday and backed President Barack Obama’s move to repeal the restrictions on gays.

Powell’s intervention followed by one day an announcement of support for Obama’s proposal by Pentagon chief Robert Gates and a strong appeal to let gays serve openly by the nation’s top uniformed officer, Admiral Michael Mullen.

Gates and Mullen spent part of Wednesday trying to defuse opposition in Congress to the move.

Mullen, who says allowing gays to serve openly is “an issue of integrity,” is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the job Powell held in 1993, when he resisted President Clinton’s efforts to lift the ban on gays in the U.S. armed forces.

That year, Congress struck a compromise “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowing gays to serve in the military only if they remained silent about their homosexuality. This is what Obama wants to change, and Powell said on Wednesday he now favored changing it too.

“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” Powell said in a statement.

“I fully support the new approach presented … this week by Secretary of Defense (Robert) Gates and Admiral Mullen.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. intelligence and military chiefs offered mixed assessments of the Afghanistan war on Tuesday, acknowledging the Taliban’s reach is expanding but pointing to signs of progress as more U.S. forces arrive.

President Barack Obama has ordered 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan with the goal of weakening the Taliban enough for the Afghan army and police to begin to take over.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that Taliban insurgents have “a growing influence in most of Afghanistan’s provinces” but said it is too early to give up hope in reversing that trend.

“It’s better than it’s ever been and we’re just a few months into it,” Mullen said, referring to the infusion of additional U.S. troops since December.

In a separate hearing, Dennis Blair, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency has been adjusting its tactics as more U.S. troops arrive.

“The Afghan Taliban-dominated insurgency has become increasingly dangerous and destabilizing. Despite the loss of some key leaders, insurgents have adjusted their tactics to maintain momentum following the arrival of additional U.S. forces last year,” Blair said.

The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess, said U.S. troops face an “increasingly capable insurgency,” citing the Afghan government’s “inability to extend security throughout the country, and insurgent access to sanctuaries in Pakistan.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A wary U.S. military prepared on Tuesday for an eventual repeal of its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy barring gays from serving openly, but made clear movement should be gradual on the politically charged change requested by President Barack Obama.

The Pentagon will take at least a year to act.

Obama called for repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in his State of the Union address last week, putting a spotlight on the hot-button issue before congressional elections in November and in the middle of efforts to get his budget through a skeptical Congress.

Many gay activists were frustrated last year that Obama had not moved quickly to carry out a promise to overturn “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Gays and lesbians strongly backed Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has voiced caution in the past against moving too quickly to repeal the policy, said he fully supported Obama’s decision and announced a team of advisers to start reviewing steps the U.S. military would have to take to integrate openly gay servicemembers.

“The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it,” Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We received our orders from the commander in chief and we are moving out accordingly.”

Americans favor allowing gays to serve openly in the military by a margin of 56 percent to 37 percent, according to an April poll of just over 2,000 registered voters by Quinnipiac University. Support was higher among younger voters, although there was majority support in every age group.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) – The top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday the Taliban insurgency has secured a growing influence in most of Afghanistan’s provinces, but there are signs of a turnaround as more U.S. troops arrive. "It’s better than it’s ever been and we’re just a few months into it," Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers, referring to the ongoing infusion of U.S. troops. President Barack Obama on Dec. 1 decided to deploy another 30,000 troops on top of the nearly 70,000 already there. Mullen said 4,500 of the 30,000 additional troops already have arrived in Afghanistan, and that 18,000 will be there by late spring. The remainder will arrive "as rapidly as possible over the summer and early fall, making a major contribution to reversing Taliban momentum in 2010," Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The Taliban have a growing influence in most of Afghanistan’s provinces, and the border area between that country and Pakistan remains the epicenter of global terrorism," Mullen said. "Right now, the Taliban believe they’re winning. Eighteen months from now, if we’ve executed our strategy, we’ll know that they won’t … that they can’t," Mullen added. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the same hearing that troop levels are expected to reach 98,000 by the end of September. Mullen said that by the middle of this year, the United States will have more troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq for the first time since 2003. Obama’s troop surge has gained support in Congress. But Republicans and Democrats alike have voiced concern about the linchpin of Obama’s new strategy in Afghanistan — accelerating the training of Afghan forces so they can take over responsibility for security. ‘GET THE JOB DONE’ "The question is whether the Afghans are capable and willing to do their part?" said Senator Evan Bayh, a member of Obama’s Democratic Party. "When you look at the history of that country, the complexity of that country, I think skeptics kind of wonder whether even with our best efforts we’ll be able to get the job done." Obama set the goal of starting to pull some U.S. troops out in July 2011. But Gates made clear that it was not a fixed date, saying any gradual drawdown would depend on the outcome of a policy review later this year. "Both Admiral Mullen and I are committed that if we determine that our strategy is not working that we will not recommend just plunging ahead blindly without a change of course," Gates said. Mullen said that "a healthy skepticism is good" but that "a terminal skepticism at this point, it’s far too soon." He pointed to "signs in many places now of uplifted spirits on the part of the Afghan people where security is turned around." U.S. military commanders on the ground complain that Obama’s handover plans were being hampered by a shortage of trainers, particularly from European allies. "We all agree it is unacceptable. It is a top priority there," said Mullen when pressed about the shortage of trainers. Mullen said he attended a meeting last week with other NATO military chiefs and the issue of trainers would be discussed again later this month. Gates said the U.S. general in charge of training had reported a shortfall of about 1,700 trainers. "Our hope is that with the additional commitments of somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 additional forces by our NATO and other partners, that out of that number we can more than fill the requirement for trainers," Gates said. White House officials initially said the 30,000 troops should be in the Asian nation by the end of June. Pentagon officials said the deployment was on track and that 92 percent of the new forces would be in place by August. (Reporting by Adam Entous, Sue Pleming and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Paul Simao and Will Dunham)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday proposed another two years of hefty spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, seeking Congress’ approval for about $160 billion this year and again in fiscal 2011 to pay war costs.

The war spending proposed by Obama is only slightly less than in each of the last two years of the administration of President George Bush and carries considerable political peril for the Democratic president who took office last year.

Obama campaigned for the White House vowing to end the Iraq war. His party has a large anti-war contingent that is wary of spending more money on the battlefield, and some of its leaders said they would carefully review the military budget.

U.S. troops are to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, but Obama is seeking to escalate the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to step up the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Obama announced in December he was adding 30,000 more U.S. troops to the Afghan war effort to join the 68,000 already fighting a resurgent Taliban. He hopes to start bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011.

To pay for the surge in Afghanistan, Obama on Monday asked for an additional $33 billion in the current 2010 fiscal year, on top of about $130 billion that Congress has already approved for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars through September 30, 2010.

Pentagon chief Robert Gates said he would be asking Congress to approve this additional money soon to finance the new troop deployment in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday proposed a half-billion-dollar increase in funding next year to help train and equip Pakistani security forces to fight Islamist militants and also asked for a big hike in economic aid for Islamabad.

The proposed increases in Obama’s budget reflects Washington’s attempt at long-term stabilization of Pakistan.

The United States is Pakistan’s biggest aid donor. Washington wants Pakistan to help hunt for al Qaeda leaders and to stop Islamist militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan to fight U.S.-led forces there.

Obama requested $1.2 billion for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund for fiscal 2011, a jump from $700 million budgeted the previous year for the fund to help Pakistan defeat extremists within its own borders.

The president also requested $1.322 billion for Pakistan from what is known as the Economic Support Fund (ESF), a House Democratic aide who had seen detailed budget documents told Reuters. This fund promotes economic and political stability in strategically important regions where the United States has special security interests.

That’s a proposed increase of $289 million, or not quite a third, in economic aid from that fund to Pakistan from a year earlier, and is consistent with U.S. promises to step up economic aid to Islamabad.

Last year, Obama signed legislation pledging to provide $7.5 billion in non-military aid to Pakistan over five years. The money must be appropriated by Congress year to year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran’s gasoline suppliers and penalize some of Tehran’s elites, a move aimed at pressuring Tehran to give up its nuclear program.

The sanctions, approved on a voice vote, would target companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand the country’s oil-refining capacity by, in part, denying them loans and other assistance from U.S. financial institutions.

The House of Representatives has already passed similar legislation. Differences between the two bills will have to be worked out before the measure becomes law.

Lawmakers and the Obama administration fear Iran’s uranium enrichment program will be used to develop weapons, while Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity.

Many in Congress want to give Obama more tools to pressure Iran. Cutting off gasoline supplies would hurt Tehran’s economy; while Iran has the world’s third biggest oil reserves, it must import 40 percent of its gasoline to meet domestic demand because of a lack of refining capacity.

In his State of the Union address on Wednesday, Obama warned Tehran faced “growing consequences” over its nuclear program. The administration has been working with several other major powers to build a consensus on new sanctions to be imposed jointly.

But U.S. business groups have warned the White House that the lawmakers’ approach threatens to undercut this joint strategy. The critics say broad-based sanctions sought by lawmakers would upset U.S. allies whose companies would be affected, and frustrate joint action with other countries against Iran.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans and business leaders on Thursday pressed President Barack Obama to make good on his goal of doubling exports by moving quickly to win congressional approval of long-delayed trade pacts with Panama, Colombia and South Korea.

The Republicans noted that Obama had stopped short of asking lawmakers to approve the waiting trade deals, even though he called for closer trade ties with these countries during his State of the Union speech on Wednesday evening.

Obama also outlined a new national export initiative aimed at getting more farmers and small businesses involved in trade with the goal of doubling exports over five years.

Republican Representative David Dreier said he asked White House economic adviser Larry Summers right after Obama’s speech when the trade pacts with Panama, Colombia and South Korea would be sent to Congress for a vote.

“His (Summers’) response was, he hoped soon,” Dreier told a news conference.

“I said, we are here waiting. Every single day that we wait, we are losing jobs in the United States of America because we don’t have … opportunities to break into those new markets,” Dreier said.

The Republicans said they could work with Obama to get the trade deals approved and reform U.S. export controls, another issue the president mentioned in his speech.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will maintain a civilian presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan for a long time, even after American combat troops leave the region, a U.S. State Department report said on Thursday.

President Barack Obama, already sending more troops to Afghanistan, wants to send more civilian advisers to help rebuild Afghanistan’s agriculture sector, strengthen its governance and support efforts to re-integrate Taliban fighters who renounce al Qaeda, the report said.

The document was released as British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was in Washington for talks, including details of an international conference on Afghanistan to be held in London next week.

Obama will soon submit to Congress a funding request for the civilian part of his strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan and Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters, without disclosing the amount.

“There’s a very clear call, which is for every country to mobilize its civilian as well as military resources behind the coherent and credible agenda that has now been set for Afghanistan,” Clinton said, standing alongside Miliband at the State Department.

Salvaging the effort to stabilize and pacify Afghanistan has emerged as a major dilemma for Obama. U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001, when they helped oust the Taliban leaders who harbored the al Qaeda network responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Pakistan’s government has attacked Pakistani Taliban factions, but has resisted U.S. pressure to go after Afghan Taliban in border enclaves who do not strike in Pakistan but cross the border to fight U.S. troops in Afghanistan.