US outsources Syria aid to Gulf
In an apparent win for the Donald Trump administration, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to pick up the tab to stabilize Syria.
The Donald Trump administration is cutting $230 million in stabilization assistance for Syria after several Gulf states agreed to pick up the tab.
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement today that the United States “has elicited approximately $300 million in contributions and pledges from coalition partners to support critical stabilization and early recovery initiatives in areas liberated from [the Islamic State (IS)] in northeast Syria, including a generous contribution of $100 million by Saudi Arabia and $50 million pledged by the United Arab Emirates.”
Nauert then noted that the administration has consequently notified Congress today of its intent to reprogram the funds the United States had allocated for stabilization.
Trump, a frequent critic of US allies’ perceived refusal to pull their weight, has become increasingly skeptical of a prolonged US military presence in Syria. He first froze stabilization aid for Syria in March, leading to strong bipartisan pushback on Capitol Hill. Afterward, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo solicited donations from counter-IS coalition members during a June meeting in Morocco and on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial summit in July.
