Secretary of State John Kerry, right, speaks with House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, after a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.WASHINGTON - The Senate has approved a plan for the military to train and equip Syrian rebels, clearing the measure for President Barack Obama's signature.
The vote late Thursday was 73-22 for broader legislation that also provides money to keep the government operating after the end of the budget year on Sept. 30.
The measure was one of the last on the shortened congressional agenda ahead of November's midterm elections.
The Senate vote crossed party lines.
Some Republicans backed a major plank in the Democratic president's strategy to defeat Islamic State militants. Several Democrats broke with Obama amid fears of U.S. ground forces being dragged back to Iraq for a Middle East conflict.