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Senate hits the brakes on Tunisia aid boost

President Barack Obama wants to almost double assistance to Tunisia, but Congress is split.
Tourists queue to leave Tunisia at the Enfidha international airport, Tunisia, July 10, 2015. Thousands of tourists rushed to leave Tunisia on Friday after Britain warned another attack was "highly likely", two weeks after a gunman killed 38 foreign holidaymakers at a beachside hotel.  REUTERS/Amine Ben Aziza - RTX1JV91

The US Senate is standing in the way of a substantial aid boost to the Arab Spring’s only potential success story.

The State Department and key House panels have agreed to almost double economic and military assistance to Tunisia following last year’s elections and the looming terrorist threats. Senate appropriators aren’t convinced, however, and approved a foreign aid bill last week that’s about $50 million below the $134 million requested by the Barack Obama administration.

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