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Congress likely to vote on authorization for training Syrian rebels Congress likely to vote on authorization for training Syrian rebels
(35 minutes later)
Senate Democrats are preparing legislation to authorize the U.S. military to train and equip foreign troops to help battle the Islamic State, senior congressional aides said Wednesday. The legislation is being drafted after the White House formally asked Congress Tuesday to include the legal authority in a short-term spending measure set to be passed in the coming days.Senate Democrats are preparing legislation to authorize the U.S. military to train and equip foreign troops to help battle the Islamic State, senior congressional aides said Wednesday. The legislation is being drafted after the White House formally asked Congress Tuesday to include the legal authority in a short-term spending measure set to be passed in the coming days.
Senior House Republican aides couldn’t say Wednesday whether the provision granting the legal authority will be included in the spending measure, which was unveiled last night. House Republicans have scheduled a meeting for 9 a.m. Thursday to take the temperature of members the morning after Obama’s address. If the authority is granted, American military personnel likely would be sent into Syria, but only to train foreign fighters, according to lawmakers briefed on the administration's request.
If the legal authority isn’t included in the spending measure, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) plans to introduce a standalone measure. “It’s clear to me that we need to train and equip Syrian rebels and other groups in the Middle East that need some help,” he said Wednesday morning. It is unclear what level of support exists for granting Obama the authority to deploy military trainers and to equip Syrian rebels, but Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) signaled Wednesday that he supports the move.
There would be no money attached to formal authorization for training and equipping foreign fighters, but the administration has said it will need at least $500 million to do so, House and Senate aides said. “It’s clear to me that we need to train and equip Syrian rebels and other groups in the Middle East that need some help,” he said.
Reid said Wednesday that “there is money” already to pay for training and equipment and that a vote authorizing new spending wouldn’t be necessary. But senior aides said a separate measure requesting additional funding might be introduced later. In a sign of intensifying White House engagement, President Obama has personally called lawmakers asking them to support quickly granting the legal authority needed to train foreign fighters. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee that writes spending bills, said he received a call from Obama at 5 p.m. Tuesday asking that the legal authority be included in a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal government operating when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. The House is scheduled to vote on the spending bill on Thursday.
Rogers said "I don't recollect a previous time" that he had received a direct call from Obama asking that something be included in a spending bill. While the call was rare, Rogers seemed upset that Obama would make such a significant request at the last minute.
"They've known about this problem for over a year, they've known that we were getting to do a [spending bill] and just as I was ready to drop it in the hopper, the president calls and asks if we would consider this," Rogers said. "In good faith, we're trying to get briefed up on what the request is, and it's a complicated, big-time change in policy that I'd hate to see us attach to a continuing resolution at the very last minute."
Other senior House Republican aides couldn’t say Wednesday whether the language granting the legal authority will be included in the spending bill. Top House GOP leaders have scheduled a meeting for 9 a.m. Thursday to take the temperature of rank-and-file members the morning after Obama’s address.
Aides said that there would be no money attached to formal authorization for training and equipping fighters, because the Pentagon would be able to draw from current funding. The administration has told lawmakers that at least $500 million will be needed initially for the training programs, House and Senate aides said.
Reid said Wednesday that “there is money” already to pay for training and equipment and that a vote authorizing new spending wouldn’t be necessary. Senior aides said a separate measure requesting additional funding might be introduced later.