Congress Stalls Arming of Syrian Rebels

What a shocker, Congress is stalling something. After the Obama administration approved arming Syrian rebels to aid in the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad last month, Congress is still debating the measure.

It seems both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are hesitant to arm the rebels, and on Wednesday, the committees voted to restrict funding to Syrian rebels.

Congressional members are either concerned that the U.S. isn't as committed as they should be to Syria, or that weapons could fall into the wrong hands. Other members say they don't want any U.S. involvement in Syria.

President Obama called for arming rebels after determining that Assad used chemical weapons on his own people. "To use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line with respect to international norms and international law," Obama said.

According to the Washington Post , the administration doesn't have to seek approval or funding authorization from the intelligence committees or Congressional leaders to send aid. However, "seeking agreement is a long-held tradition." With over 100,000 Syrian civilians already estimated dead, we'll see what Obama decides to do next.