According to USAID (United States Agency For International Development), the federal agency in charge of distributing the vast majority of foreign aid monies to other countries, United States taxpayers have paid for over one billion dollars in foreign aid packages to help support the “Syrian Humanitarian Response.”

Despite the threat of continued chemical attacks against the Syrian people that has served as the focal point of rallying cries for advocates of US military intervention (including the Obama administration), The Daily Beast reported that gas masks were not among the items purchased with the American billion-dollar aid package. While the President and his deputies (namely Secretary of State John Kerry) continue to forcefully denounce what they now claim to be incontrovertibly proven chemical weapons use by the Syrian Government, the Executive Branch notably omitted to include funding for gas masks in its omnibus aid package.

Instead, The Obama Administration armed the Syrian Opposition with advanced weaponry.

The Al Nusra Front, a Syrian Opposition group that is believed to be one of the primary recipients of US aid, swore allegiance to Al Qaeda in April.

According to a recent Pew Poll, the American public is vehemently opposed to the US government meddling in the affairs of the ongoing civil war in Syria. However, this measure of public opinion has not stopped the Obama administration from providing active aid to the tune of well over 1 billion dollars.

While it appears that the Obama administration has decided to “consult congress” before leaping into an otherwise unsanctioned military operation, it has not exercised similar discretion in its decision to unilaterally disburse over one billion dollars of American taxpayers’ money.