$585 billion approved by House

washington » The Republican-controlled House on Thursday approved a $585 billion defense policy bill that grants President BarackObama the authority to expand the U.S. military campaign against Islamic terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

The vote was 300-119, a reflection of the popularity of the sweeping, bipartisan measure that authorizes funds for American troops as well as ships, planes and other war-fighting equipment.

Among the Colorado delegation, only Democratic Rep. Jared Polis voted against the measure.

Themeasure heads to the Senate, where passage is expected nextweek, although some GOP senators are angry over the bill’s unrelated provisions to expand wilderness areas.

The legislation endorses Obama’s latest request to Congress in the 4-monthold war against terrorists who brutally rule large sections of Iraq and Syria. The bill provides $5 billion for the increased operation of airstrikes and the dispatch of up to 1,500 more American service members.

It also reauthorizes the Pentagon plan to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels battling the forces of President Bashar Assad, with that mandate expiring Dec. 11. The legislation would extend that authority for two years.

Still, war-weary lawmakers expressed unease about a slippery slope for the military after years of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We’re getting more deeply involved in the war in Iraq and Syria,” said Rep. JimMcGovern, D-Mass.

The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, insisted thatU.S. involvement was limited. “The trainand-equip mission is just that,” Smith said. “I don’t want U.S. combat troops fighting this ground war.”

Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sought to push through a measure defining how Obama can use military force in Iraq and Syria. But Republicans, who are generally supportive of thewar, rebelled. They objected to a lack of debate and legislative maneuvering.

washington » Emboldened House Republicans issued a rebuke to President Barack Obama over immigration Thursday, passing a bill declaring his executive actions to curb deportations “null and void and without legal effect.”

Outraged Democrats, immigrant advocates and the WhiteHouse said the GOP was voting to tear families apart and eject parents.

“Rather than deport students and separate families and make it harder for law enforcement to do its job, I just want the Congress to work with us to pass a common-sense law to fix that broken immigration system,” Obama said before the vote.

Even supporters

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