Trump Freezes $200 Million Budget To Aid Syria’s Recovery Efforts

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According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump has decided to freeze a $200 million budget that was meant to help war-torn Syria to recover from the years of destruction the country has suffered.

This is yet another sign that Trump plans on ending U.S. involvement in the Middle Eastern country, and it comes soon after an announcement he made Thursday during a rally in Ohio promising that American troops would be returning home soon to “let other people take care of it for now.”

The Journal’s story says Trump made decision to freeze the $200 million in funds after reading a report on the purpose of this budget.

A spokesperson for the State Department told The Hill that while the U.S. is currently still working with its partners to help stabilize Syria, funding for this work is constantly reevaluated. The staffer did not specifically address the $200 million.

“[The State Department] continues to work with the international community, members of the Coalition, and our partners on the ground to provide much needed stabilization support to vulnerable areas in Syria,” the spokesperson said, adding, “In line with the president’s request to review all international assistance, we continually reevaluate appropriate assistance levels and how best they might be utilized, which we do on an ongoing basis.”

As with seemingly everything Trump does as president, it looks like this decision could be beneficial for Russia and Putin, who have strong interest in Syria and keeping U.S. control out. In November, Putin reportedly briefed Trump for more than an hour over the phone regarding his plan on how to end the Syrian war.

The Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011, has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 500,000 people and in the displacement of over 6.1 million people inside Syria and an additional 5.6 million around the world.