Earlier in the day, the State Department announced it was redirecting $230 million in Syria stabilization funding towards other foreign policy priorities yet to be determined.
"Worse yet, [Trump] is rolling out the red carpet for Russia and Iran who will seize the vacuum of US presence and assistance to double down on their support of the Assad regime," Menendez said.
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a press release on Friday said the US government will continue to fund White Helmet operations in Syria.
This decision, Nauert added, does not represent a change in Washington’s commitment to its goals in the Middle Eastern country.
During the same call, a state department official said the United States has made it clear to Russia that no reconstruction funding for Syria will be provided until the UN validates that an irreversible political process is underway.