Brian Tumulty in Politics on the Hudson reports that U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook) is leading a bipartisan group to block U.S. military spending on rebels in the Syrian civil war. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Democratic Reps. Peter Welch of Vermont and Rick Nolan of Minnesota are among the reps pushing legislation with Gibson that would prohibit the Obama administration from arming the Syrian rebels without Congressional authorization. “If we intervene militarily, we will exacerbate the situation,’’ said Gibson, a retired Army colonel at a press conference, Thu., June 27. “We will not ease the concerns or the suffering there.’’ Gibson proposed an amendment to strip language out of the defense authorization bill that said “all courses of action” to remove Syrian President Assad from power should be taken, and the U.S should begin operational planning to secure Syria’s chemical and biological weapons, and prepare for supplying lethal aid to the rebels. Gibson's proposal failed 123-301, according to Tumulty. Read the full story in Politics on the Hudson.