Congress may finally vote next week to arm Western-backed Syrian rebels, a year and a half after legislation to do just that was first filed.
After Saudi Arabia agreed last weekend to host a training operation for the Free Syrian Army, Obama administration officials turned up the pressure on lawmakers to take action. The White House says it can live without the extra $500 million it had previously requested for the train-and-equip mission for now, but it wants Congress to grant it the authority to start setting up the mission before lawmakers head out for the midterm elections.