Wall Street Journal: Trump Freezes Funds for Syrian Recovery, Signaling Pullback
“President Donald Trump froze more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts in Syria as his administration reassesses Washington’s broader role in the protracted conflict there. The White House ordered the State Department to put the spending on hold, U.S. officials said, a decision in line with Mr. Trump’s declaration on Thursday that America would exit Syria and ‘let the other people take care of it now.’ … As part of the stabilization, a handful of U.S. civilian experts have been deployed to Syria to help restore water and electricity, repair medical facilities, schools, and basic infrastructure with a goal of encouraging displaced Syrians to return home, working with partner organizations on the ground…” (Schwartz et al., 3/30).