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Obama wants $500M to train, equip Syrian rebels

The White House is requesting that Congress release more money to deal with the crises in Syria and Iraq.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the League of Conservation Voters Capital Dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington June 25, 2014. 

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque  (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3VSFD

WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday requested $500 million to help train and equip vetted rebel groups in Syria as part of a $1.5 billion Regional Stabilization Initiative to deal with the growing instability from the four-year crisis.

The request is part of a $65.8 billion request for the special war fund known as Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) that fills in what had until now been a blank placeholder in President Obama's budget request for fiscal year 2015. The Regional Stabilization Initiative, which must still be approved by the House and Senate, is part of a $5 billion counterterrorism partnership fund that the president announced during his commencement address at West Point last month.

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