Obama Aid Request to Syria Rebels Tied to Funding Measure
By Heidi Przybyla, James Rowley and Kathleen Hunter
Sep 17, 2014 2:00 PM ET
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
House Speaker John Boehner told reporters yesterday in Washington, “The president asked us to authorize the training of the Free Syrian Army” to fight Islamic State extremists. "That’s what we’re going to do.”
The U.S. Congress is on track to pass legislation by the end of this week to arm and equip Syrian rebels and also finance the federal government to avoid a repeat of last year’s 16-day partial shutdown.
The Republican-led House plans to vote today on President Barack Obama’s request for aid to Syrian rebels. Lawmakers are being asked to add the measure to a must-pass bill to finance the U.S. government through Dec. 11.
Then, the Senate is likely to vote on the measure as soon as tomorrow, with leaders from both parties expressing confidence that Congress will clear it for Obama’s signature.
“The president asked us to authorize the training of the Free Syrian Army” to fight Islamic State extremists, Boehner told reporters yesterday in Washington. “That’s what we’re going to do.”
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* Boehner Says House to Approve Free Syrian Army Training
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Still, some House Democrats wary of the U.S. getting into another Middle East ground war expressed doubts after Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey told a Senate committee yesterday he would recommend that U.S. advisers accompany Iraqi troops in battle to combat Islamic State if necessary.
Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut said Dempsey’s comments raised a “nightmare scenario” that rattled fellow Democrats.
Vermont Democrat Peter Welch said Dempsey’s comments were “sobering” because he made clear that “the reality is the reliable boots are on American feet.” Both lawmakers spoke after Democrats’ second closed-door meeting on the issue yesterday.
‘Significant Discussion’
Second-ranking House Democrat Steny Hoyer, who is among the leaders predicting the Syrian-rebel aid will pass, said the amendment doesn’t authorize U.S. troops in Iraq or Syria, as the training of Syrian rebels will take place in Saudi Arabia or Jordan.
Hoyer of Maryland said, “at some time in the future there will be significant discussion” on whether a broader authorization of U.S. military force is needed.
Boehner decided to hold two House votes -- on the Syria aid amendment and the full government spending bill -- after some Republicans insisted a separate vote on the Syria measure would send a stronger message to allies and terrorist groups.
Although some skeptical Senate Democrats sought a separate vote to register their opposition, Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to keep the legislation as one package, according to a Democratic aide who sought anonymity to discuss the plans.
Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said he is confident it “will pass on a bipartisan basis” in the chamber.
November Election
Congressional leaders say they want to pass the measure this week so members can return home to campaign for the Nov. 4 election.
Republicans also want to move quickly to avoid a repeat of last October’s partial government shutdown caused by a Republican effort to defund Obama’s health-care law. Public approval of Republicans plunged in polls after the shutdown.
The spending legislation, H.J.Res. 124, will include a nine-month reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, whose charter ends Sept. 30, the same day government funding is set to lapse.
Hoyer said Democrats will accept the nine-month Ex-Im extension. Democrats had sought to reauthorize the bank for a matter of years, and Hoyer said Sept. 12 that the nine-month measure was a Republican step to “eventually kill” the Ex-Im Bank altogether.
Sunni Extremists
Obama, in a Sept. 10 televised address, asked Congress to authorize help for Syrian rebels combating the Sunni extremist group Islamic State, which has swept from Syria deep into Iraq with a campaign of terror that included the beheading of two U.S. journalists and a British aid worker. No U.S. ground troops will be needed, the president said.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials have called about 60 lawmakers to discuss the measure, said an administration official who sought anonymity to discuss the contacts.
Among the dissenting senators are vulnerable Democrats senators seeking re-election in November like Mark Begich of Alaska. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia also objects to equipping and training the Syrian rebels.
“Why are we expected to take the lead?” Manchin said. He said that may give Islamic State terrorists “more of a reason to basically recruit and fight against us.”
Senate Democrats, who worry the arms could fall into terrorists’ hands and that the U.S. may be drawn into a broader war, wanted a chance to vote against it without torpedoing the funding bill.
60 Votes
Even if some Democrats oppose the bill, Republican support will help it clear the 60-vote threshold needed to advance legislation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he’ll vote for the spending bill and Syria rebel aid.
“I support what the president’s doing” in aiding the Syrian rebels, said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. “I’d like to take another look at it a few months from now and see how it’s working out.”
Such a rare show of bipartisan support is unlikely to last past the November election. Some Republicans are pressing for a vote then on a broader authorization to wage war similar to what was given to President George W. Bush before the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Today’s amendment states that it doesn’t broadly authorize “the introduction of United States armed forces into hostilities,” a limit sought by lawmakers of both parties.
Republicans including Boehner have criticized Obama for not doing enough to defeat Islamic militants.
Dropping Bombs
“We’ve got to do more than train a few folks in Syria and train a few folks in Iraq and dropping bombs,” Boehner of Ohio said yesterday.
Meanwhile, Democrats say they’re concerned the U.S. will be drawn into another costly, protracted battle similar to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the plan includes “targeted actions” against Islamic State positions, including “command and control, logistics capabilities and infrastructure.”
The House measure would require the Defense Department and State Department to report to Congress 15 days before putting its proposal into effect and demonstrate how it would work.
Every 90 days afterward, the Defense Department would have to provide information on vetting of Syrian rebels who receive help, in an effort to ensure that U.S. equipment doesn’t fall into terrorists’ hands.
The authority to equip and train Syrian rebels would continue until the government spending bill expires. Funds for equipping and training the Syrian rebels would come from Defense Department money contained in the measure.
To contact the reporters on this story: Heidi Przybyla in Washington at hprzybyla@bloomberg.net; James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net;
Kathleen Hunter in Washington at khunter9@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jodi Schneider at jschneider50@bloomberg.net Laurie Asseo
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