Four senators introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday that would curtail U.S. funding on activities that would escalate U.S. involvement in the bloody civil war in Syria.
The bill, filed by Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rand Paul (R-KY), would prohibit the Department of Defense, the CIA and all other intelligence agencies from funding any military or operations in Syria, but would not impact humanitarian aid.
“The President’s unilateral decision to arm Syrian rebels is incredibly disturbing, considering what little we know about whom we are arming. Engaging in yet another conflict in the Middle East with no vote or Congressional oversight compounds the severity of this situation,” Paul said in a joint press release from all the co-sponsors. “The American people deserve real deliberation by their elected officials before we send arms to a region rife with extremists who seek to threaten the U.S. and her allies.”
The legislation follows President Obama’s announcement earlier this week that the U.S. would help arm the Syrian rebels.
