War can produce odd couples. Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann and Minnesota Democrat Rick Nolan have joined forces to introduce bipartisan legislation that would block any military aid to Syrian rebel groups and U.S. support of military operations in Syria until authorized by a joint resolution of Congress. The bill would continue to allow for non-lethal humanitarian assistance to be provided to the Syrian people, but would require the administration to report to Congress every 90 days detailing the assistance being provided to groups, organizations, movements and individuals in Syria. Also on the House bill are New York Republican Chris Gibson and Vermont Democrats Peter Welch.
Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate by a bipartisan group that includes New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall and Kentucky Republican Rand Paul. The bills come as President Obama has come under sharp criticism for his hands-off approach to the Syrian civil war. But his administration recently agreed to make arms shipments to non-jihadist groups fighting the Iranian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
