Senate votes 78-22 in favor of Obama's plan to arm Syrian rebels

On Thursday night, with a 78-22 vote, the Senate approved President Obama's plan to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels to fight against ISIS.

The proposal was added as an amendment to a spending bill that will keep the government operating on Oct. 1, the beginning of a new fiscal year, Reuters reports. Following the vote, Obama said he was glad that a majority of Democrats and Republicans supported the legislation. "I believe we're strongest as a nation when the president and Congress work together," he said.

Supporters included 44 Democrats, 33 Republicans, and one Independent, while nine Democrats, 12 Republicans, and one Independent opposed the plan.

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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Reuters that while she voted for the bill, she would like to see Congress have a full debate over how to stop ISIS. "I'm concerned that the fighters that we train will be focused on what really motivates them, which is removing [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad, not fighting ISIS," she said.