WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate Floor regarding his support for equipping and training Syrian opposition and for containing Ebola:

“Today, the Senate will consider House-passed legislation to fund the government and address the twin threats of Ebola and ISIL. These are important issues. I know many members on both sides plan to support this legislation. I know that others have concerns too.

“I understand those concerns. I share some of them. But while no bill is perfect, I believe this is legislation worth supporting.

“I’d like to thank my fellow Kentuckian, Representative Hal Rogers, for his leadership and his work on this bill. Because it does a lot of important things, and all without raising discretionary spending.

“It would reauthorize important counter-narcotic operations that help keep our children and communities safe.

“It would extend the Internet Tax Freedom Act until December, giving us a chance to secure a permanent extension.

“It would block some of the Administration’s discriminatory policies against Kentucky coal.

“And it would help address the Administration’s veterans’ crisis by providing more resources to address the claims backlog and investigations into potential wrongdoing. That’s a positive step toward the more comprehensive reforms Republicans would like to see.

“Critically, the legislation would provide authorization to train and equip a moderate Syrian opposition ground force—a key component of the President’s efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat ISIL. While I’m concerned about the ability of the coalition to generate sufficient combat power to defeat ISIL within Syria, I support the President’s proposal to begin this program. The authorization is of limited duration, and it now contains some important reporting requirements that will allow Congress to assess and oversee this program to measure whether the mission is being accomplished.

“The Ebola crisis is another area where the President deserves Congress’ support. As you know, he recently announced several measures to contain the spread of the disease in Africa and prevent it from reaching our shores. Accordingly, the bill contains additional resources to support research and bolster our nation’s efforts in assisting Africa to manage this growing crisis.

“In summary this isn’t perfect legislation, but it begins to address many of our constituents’ top concerns without raising discretionary spending. And it positions us for better solutions in the months to come.”