The Boland Amendments were a series of congressional provisions, named after Massachusetts Democrat [[Edward P. Boland]], that prohibited the use of taxpayer funds for overthrowing the government of [[Nicaragua]] or supporting the [[Contras]] in military operations.[^1] The amendments were largely circumvented by the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], the White House, and [[Oliver North]]'s illegal resupply network. ### First Boland Amendment (1982) The first Boland Amendment was passed on Christmas Eve 1982 by a vote of 411–0, prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds "for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Nicaragua or provoking a military exchange between Nicaragua and Honduras." It was triggered by a Newsweek cover story, "America's Secret War: Target Nicaragua," which exposed the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration's covert war. Congressman Tom Harkin had proposed a complete funding cutoff, calling the Contras "vicious, cutthroat murderers" and urging Congress to "end our involvement with this group." Boland, who chaired the House Intelligence Committee and knew about the secret CIA project, persuaded Harkin to accept a weaker amendment.[^1] The amendment was largely a fraud. Internal government memos show the CIA, White House, Defense Department, and Contras' congressional supporters knew the Contras had no hope of defeating the [[Sandinistas]]. Since there was no way the Contras would overthrow the Nicaraguan government, supporters reasoned they could continue spending CIA funds despite the amendment. If the Contras received money for one purpose, arms interdiction, and used it for another, "that wasn't the CIA's fault."[^1] ### Escalating Congressional Opposition In May 1983, the House Intelligence Committee issued a special report suggesting the Contra operation was illegal. On July 28, 1983, the House passed a resolution 228–195 to stop all aid to the Contras. By 1984, Congress had cut off CIA funding entirely, leading Oliver North to establish illegal private funding networks - the enterprise at the center of the [[Iran-Contra Affair]].[^1] ### The October 1984 Boland Amendment The hardest blow came in October 1984, when the Democrat-controlled Congress passed yet another Boland Amendment—this one with teeth. Unlike the earlier versions, it prohibited the CIA, the Defense Department, or any other agency of the U.S. government from giving any money or aid to anyone for the support of the Contras. The money spigot had been officially turned off; the loopholes were sewn shut. The CIA and Defense Department began withdrawing their trainers, advisers, administrators, tacticians, and logisticians from Central America, and by the end of the year the Contras were alone and in disarray. Thousands of rebel fighters retreated from Nicaragua for the safety of Honduras.[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 9: "He would have had me by the tail" [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it"