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Congress balks at war on terror funding for Syria

Bipartisan intolerance for Overseas Contingency Operations “slush fund” could jeopardize aid to rebels.
Senate Budget Committee chairman Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) (R) and House Budget Committee chairman Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) (L) depart after a news conference to introduce The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, December 10, 2013. Budget negotiators in the U.S. Congress have reached an agreement on Tuesday that, if approved by the House and Senate, could restore some order to the nation's chaotic budget process and avoid another government shutdown on Jan. 15.  REUTERS/

Lawmakers of both parties are running out of patience with the White House’s expansive use of special war funding to pay for US operations abroad, possibly putting aid to Syria at risk.

With US troops in Afghanistan coming home after more than a decade of war, many House Democrats and some Republicans argue it’s time to retire Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding that exploded after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Instead, the State Department’s fiscal year 2015 budget for the first time requests that OCO be used to help Syrian rebels and refugees.

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