Key lawmakers have moved to slash funding of a secret CIA operation to train and arm terrorists in Syria, a move that U.S. officials said reflects rising skepticism of the effectiveness of the agency program and the Obama admini

Key lawmakers have moved to slash funding of a secret CIA operation to train and arm terrorists in Syria, a move that U.S. officials said reflects rising skepticism of the effectiveness of the agency program and the Obama administration’s strategy in the Middle East.

According to Washington Post, the House Intelligence Committee recently voted unanimously to cut as much as 20 percent of the classified funds flowing into a CIA program that U.S. officials said has become one the agency’s largest covert operations, with a budget approaching $1 billion a year.

The cuts to the CIA program are included in a preliminary intelligence spending bill that is expected to be voted on in the House next week. The measure has provoked concern among CIA and White House officials, who warned that pulling money out of the CIA operations could weaken U.S.-backed militants. The White House declined to comment.