House Passes Bill To Arm Syrian Rebels; Prevent Shutdown

The Senate is expected to pass a measure authorizing the arming and training of Syrian rebels by the US today.

The House last night approved a similar measure as an amendment to a continuing resolution to keep the government open until Dec. 11.

The bill passed in the House with a vote of 319-108 and the amendment passed with a vote of 273-156, in a show of bipartisan support.

The vote comes after President Obama laid out a plan to fight the militant group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, last week that involved arming rebels.

NPR's senior politics editor Ron Elving joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to discuss the details of the vote.