Congress balks at war on terror funding for Syria
Bipartisan intolerance for Overseas Contingency Operations “slush fund” could jeopardize aid to rebels.
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.
“It’s definitely moving away from war-time spending, which is traditionally what the account is used for,” said a House Democratic aide. “We have concerns that this is basically a slush fund.”
In its budget request, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) says OCO funding “supports our response to ongoing challenges presented by the Syria crisis.”
