In rare bipartisan praise for President Donald Trump, political polar opposites Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., issued a letter of support for the U.S. troops withdrawal in Syria, according to Politico.
A letter written by 12 lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., offered "bipartisan support of your announcement of the start of a 'deliberate withdrawal' of U.S. military forces in Syria," the letter reportedly read.
The group argued U.S. troops presence in Syria is a "violation of the Constitution" because it was never approved by Congress and also urged President Trump to push to end war in Afghanistan.
"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," the letter read, according to Politico. "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."
Also signing the letter were:
- Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
- Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.
- Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich.
- Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
- Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla.
- Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
- Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.
"The constitution isn't partisan," Rep. Khanna told Politico.
President Trump has faced opposition to a complete withdrawal in Syria over concerns ISIS might be able to become a resurgent threat in the region and worldwide.
"He tells me in no uncertain words that his position has not changed," Paul told Politico. "The foreign policy swamp, they want to stay everywhere forever.
". . . I don't think anybody's changing Trump on these things."
Editors note: An earlier version of this story listed Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., as having signed on to the letter. The communications director for Rep. Budd said he did not sign onto the letter.