"My amendment would acknowledge the plain fact that Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and their affiliates in Syria and Afghanistan continue to pose a serious threat to our nation," McConnell, who rarely criticizes the president openly, said on Tuesday unveiling the legislation.
"It would recognize the danger of a precipitous withdrawal from either conflict, and highlight the need for diplomatic engagement and political solutions to the underlying conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan," he said. The Senate was to weigh the amendment, which is attached to a broader Middle East Policy bill, in a preliminary procedural vote later Thursday.
It has no real impact on policy, but signifies the broad opposition even in Trump's own party to a rapid removal of US troops from Syria, which Trump announced in December.