Pelosi leads U.S. congressional group in Jordan for talks on Syria
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrived in Jordan Saturday, where she's leading a group of U.S. lawmakers for meetings with Jordanian King Abdullah II and other top officials on security in the region, her office confirmed in a statement.
"With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey’s incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia."— Pelosi's statement on the Jordan visit
Details: Pelosi's office said it's a bipartisan group of lawmakers, though Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, is the only Republican listed as being on the trip.
- Per Pelosi's office, committee chairs in the delegation are: Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), of the House Foreign Affairs; Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), of the House Homeland Security; and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), of the House Intelligence panel.
- Committee members also in the delegation are Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), of the House Ways and Means; Susan Davis (D-Calif.), of the House Armed Services; Elaine Luria (D-Va.), of the House Armed Services Committee; and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), of the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on national security.
The big picture: The visit comes days after Pelosi and other senior Democrats walked out of a meeting with President Trump after he suggested there was no plan to contain ISIS in Syria and he attacked the speaker in a "nasty diatribe." The Democrats accused Trump of having a "meltdown." Trump said it was Pelosi who had the meltdown.
- The Trump administration has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for abandoning the Kurds, who assisted the U.S. in fighting ISIS, in his decision to withdraw American troops from Syria. On Wednesday, the House voted 354-60 condemn the move.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a Washington Post op-ed on Friday that the U.S. troop withdrawal would set back years of fighting ISIS and other terrorists and allow Iran and Russia to expand their influence in the area.
Go deeper: Pence announces Turkey has agreed to temporary ceasefire in Syria
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.