Lawmakers worry about securing U.S. goals in Syria as Trump looks for the exit

In a House hearing, members repeatedly challenged the State Department’s top officials on the Middle East and Russia to explain how the administration planned to reach its stated goals of defeating the Islamic State, building a stable Syria without President Bashar al-Assad, and keeping his Russian and Iranian backers from taking over.

“As tempting as it is to say ‘enough’ and retreat to our shores, smart, focused and determined engagement in the Middle East must be our approach,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) said. “We need to talk strategy with the administration.”…

Their comments followed a closed-door military briefing Tuesday night that left lawmakers “unnerved,” according to Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.).

With no military or diplomatic strategy, Graham told reporters, the administration seems willing “to give Syria to Assad, Russia and Iran.”