House votes to fund government, arm Syrian rebels

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a short-term funding bill with an amendment authorizing President Barack Obama to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels.

The bipartisan spending measure, known as a continuing resolution, funds the government—and thus avoids a shutdown—through Dec. 11. It passed on a 319 to 108 vote that largely became a proxy for the vote on military intervention in the Middle East.

The amendment to arm and train Syrian opposition forces was closer, 273 to 156, but still bipartisan. Eighty-five Republicans and 71 Democrats voted against it, some saying it didn’t do enough and some indicating that the United States should stay out of Middle East conflicts altogether.

President Obama applauded the House for approving the measure.

“Today’s vote is another step closer to having the authorization to train and equip vetted elements of the moderate Syrian opposition so they can defend themselves against, and ultimately push back on, ISIL forces,” he said.

Last week Obama outlined his plan to stamp out the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS or ISIL, and asked Congress to sign off on aiding some Syrian rebels. The House agreed to pull back an already-prepared continuing resolution to consider the president’s proposal, which the president said would not include U.S. ground troops.

Although the Obama administration said it would only arm and train vetted Syrian opposition fighters, some members of Congress said it would not be done.

“We have no idea which groups are credible and whether they would remain loyal to us amid the ever-changing alliances of the Middle East,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who voted against the amendment. “There are already reports that some ‘appropriately vetted’ groups are seeking non-aggression deals with ISIS.”

The spending measure also included $88 million to help fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and reauthorized the much-maligned Export-Import Bank for nine months. Many conservative Republicans say the Export-Import Bank, which gives taxpayer-backed loans to companies doing business overseas, is an example of crony capitalism, but they have been unable to gather support to let the bank’s charter expire. Democrats attempted unsuccessfully to secure a seven-year extension for the bank.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he would allow an up-or-down vote on Thursday. The House and Senate are scheduled to adjourn at the end of this week and will not return until after the Nov. 4 midterm elections.