Letter to President Trump - Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Rand Paul Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter to President Trump Urging and Supporting Troop Withdrawal From Syria

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

We write in bipartisan support of your announcement of the start of a "deliberate withdrawal" of U.S. military forces in Syria, and we welcome the completion of this process within the next six months.

The 2015 introduction of U.S. military forces into hostilities in Syria was never approved by Congress, in violation of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973. We believe that the stated intention of withdrawing our forces is appropriate, and we look forward to the orderly return of our service members from this theater of conflict.

While it is essential to accomplish the announced withdrawal, we urge your Administration to couple the process of a phased removal of U.S. troops with an increased focus on diplomacy to ensure minimal disruption and prevent needless loss of life.



Additionally, we recommend direct, robust engagement and coordination with both U.S. allies and other regional governments to ensure the safety of Syria's civilian populations and avert the resurgence of ISIS. We agree with your aim of averting a Turkish military assault on Syria's Kurds, and U.S. leverage--such as conditioning weapons sales to Turkey--can achieve this outcome.

It is long past time to rein in the use of force that goes beyond congressional authorization, and we look forward to pursuing this longstanding bipartisan objective with your Administration. Finally, we hope this will serve as a model for ending hostilities in the future - in particular, as you and your administration seek a political solution to our involvement in Afghanistan.

Sincerely,

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