Trump Orders State Dept. to Suspend Funds for Syria Recovery

[highplainsdem]

Source: NYT

President Trump, having this week signaled a possible withdrawal of American troops from Syria, has also ordered the State Department to suspend more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts there while the administration reassesses its role in the conflict, administration officials said Friday.

-snip-

The suspension of funds for recovery efforts in Syria comes as the administration reassesses its role in the conflict there, a State Department official said on Friday. The freeze on funding was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

“There will be meetings on this next week,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because a policy review was continuing. “Obviously, we, State, hope that this decision is reversed.”

A National Security Council official explained the White House’s position: “In line with the president’s guidance, the Department of State continually re-evaluates appropriate assistance levels and how best they might be utilized, which they do on an ongoing basis.”

-snip-




Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/world/middleeast/syria-us-coalition-deaths.html

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From the Wall Street Journal story on this:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-freezes-funds-for-syrian-recovery-signaling-pullback-1522449642

Mr. Trump called for the freeze after reading a news report noting that the U.S. had recently committed an additional $200 million to support early recovery efforts in Syria, said the officials. Departing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged the money in February in Kuwait at a meeting of the coalition to defeat Islamic State.

From the Fox News story on this:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/30/trump-freezing-syria-funds-in-signal-us-pullback-report-says.html

Only two months ago, Trump's aides thought they'd persuaded him that the U.S. needed to keep its presence in Syria open-ended — not only because the Islamic State group has yet to be entirely defeated, but also because the resulting power vacuum could be filled by other extremist groups or by Iran. Trump signed off on major speech in January in which Secretary of State Rex Tillerson laid out the new strategy and declared "it is vital for the United States to remain engaged in Syria."

But by mid-February, Trump was telling his top aides in meetings that as soon as victory can be declared against ISIS, he wanted American troops out of Syria, said the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly.

Emphasis added.

[JI7]

1. Putin orders

[iluvtennis]

10. Exactly.

[George II]

2. Opening the doors for Putun-backed Assad to take full control again against the rebels.

[paleotn]

3. out of the way so the Russkies can do what they like.

[Still In Wisconsin]

4. The public tit-for-tat diplomatic squabbles with Russia are nothing but window dressing...

THIS is what Putin really wants from Donny Two Scoops. Neither Two Scoops nor Vlad could care less how many diplomatic personnel are or are not recalled and/or expelled.

[Brother Buzz]

5. Where's Master Sergeant Jay Polk when you need him?

He'll make it right, or die trying

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1002179652

[elleng]

6. 'Syria is Russia's most important ally.'

MSNBC, Ambassador

[Botany]

7. So we dump our allies in Syria so Assad can kill them because that is what Putin wants?

This level of Trump/Russia connections is staggering.

[torius]

8. Do they have a recording of that "congrats" phone call to Putin?

I think the "congrats" story was just a cover. He knew he'd be found out if he called Vlad, so he pretended it was just some dotardlike thing he did, but really it was to get his orders from the puppet master.

[BigmanPigman]

9. Richard Engel did a good show about this tonight

in place of Rachael's show. How can this idiot be allowed to make these decisions? Is anyone going to stop him before he destroys all of our allies and our country's reputation?

[Starfury]

11. Yeah, they don't want a repeat of what happened in February...

...when US and allied forces prevented Putin's buddy from sending his Wagner PMCs to grab a Syrian oil field for Assad. It embarrassed Putin on numerous levels. (Humiliating loss, 100+ Russian PMCs killed that Russia tried not to acknowledge, spot light shone on illegal use of Russian PMCs in Syria, etc.)

[bluestarone]

12. Mueller better hurry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!