The House passed $6.4 billion legislation Wednesday that would cut off U.S. aid to local governments in Afghanistan with ties to drug dealers, criminals or terrorists, a standard the White House says is unrealistic. The legislation was pushed heavily by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (news, bio, voting record), who said not enough was being done to curb Afghanistan’s growing opium market. Its passage marked increasing tension between the Bush administration, which says it has sole province on foreign policy matters, and lawmakers who say Congress must have a role in overseeing assistance programs. Full Story