In an early-term victory for freshman Minnesota Congressman Chip Cravaack, the U.S. House passed his amendment today to defund the U.S. Institute of Peace. The vote on the Minnesota Republican's proposal was 226-194, with 10 Democrats voting with him, and 18 Republicans voting against. The measure was tacked onto a 2012 Pentagon policy bill that passed 322-96. The Institute of Peace, a Washington think-tank, received $39.5 million in the current fiscal year. Prospects for the Democratic-led Senate going along with Cravaack's initiative have to be rated as slim. Here's a YouTube video of Cravaack explaining his plan on the House floor:

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