U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has introduced a bill in Congress to block military funds to Syria. The measure is aimed at preventing further U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war.
Senator Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green, is co-sponsoring legislation that would ban direct or indirect aid for military operations in Syria, but would not prevent humanitarian aid.
The bi-partisan legislation is also supported by Senators Tom Udall, Mike Lee, and Chris Murphy, all of whom have spoken out in opposition to President Obama’s decision to arm rebel groups in Syria.
“The President’s unilateral decision to arm Syrian rebels is incredibly disturbing, considering what little we know about whom we are arming," said Paul. "Engaging in yet another conflict in the Middle East with no vote or Congressional oversight compounds the severity of this situation. 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 decision to arm Syrian opposition fighters was made after the White House confirmed the use of chemical weapons by the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Obama administration has said the weapons are going only to "vetted" opposition forces.
In a speech to Christian conservatives last week, Senator Paul said the United States is effectively funding wars on Christianity by sending money to nations like Egypt and Syria. He said "those countries are not our allies, and no amount of money is going to make them so."
