John Kerry, Susan Rice and Chuck Hagel were among the officials on the call. | AP Photos W.H. offers Hill no Syria timetable

White House officials offered few details and no timeline for a possible attack on Syria during a 90-minute conference call on Thursday evening for members of Congress, according to a congressional source who participated in the call.

The call appears to have done little to change anybody’s mind. Members issued statements afterward reiterating their long-held views on Syria.


Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said the White House should seek international support for “limited, targeted strikes” against Syria, once again urging the administration to “increase the military pressure on the [Bashar] Assad regime by providing lethal aid to vetted elements of the Syrian opposition.”

( PHOTOS: Scenes from Syria)

Meanwhile, the committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Jim Inhofe, was undeterred in his opposition to military operations in Syria until there’s a clear plan to pay for them.

“As I have said before, no red line should have even been drawn without first preparing a strategic plan and assessing our resources,” the Oklahoma Republican said following the unclassified briefing.

“The administration owes it to Congress and to the American people to lay out how they will fund their military action,” Inhofe said. “Is it going to be more furloughs?”

On the call, White House officials told lawmakers the president is still weighing his options on Syria, according to the congressional source. Several officials were on the call representing the administration, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Sandy Winnefeld.

( Also on POLITICO: Congress: Obama needs Syria OK from us)

In a statement, the White House said 15 members of Congress asked questions during the call and that it would continue reaching out to lawmakers.

“The views of Congress are important to the president’s decision-making process, and we will continue to engage with members as the president reaches a decision on the appropriate U.S. response to the Syrian government’s violation of international norms,” the White House said.

Members of Congress pressed the officials about a range of issues, the congressional source said, including how military operations in Syria would be funded. The officials offered no answer, the source noted, saying Hagel agreed it was an important question pledged to provide additional information before or soon after any attack was launched.

( PHOTOS: International response to Syria)

Even with such questions unanswered, however, advocates continued to push for military action.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a statement that “the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime requires a decisive response.”

“This is not a moment to look the other way, to blind ourselves to the horrifying images in Syria, and to send the dangerous message to the global community that we would allow the use of a chemical weapons attack to take place with impunity,” Menendez said.

And Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he agrees “with the president that the use of these weapons not only violates international norms, but is a national security threat to the United States.”

“The president’s national security team said that he is still weighing his options and will continue to consult with Congress,” Engel said. “The president’s team agrees that this type of action cannot go without consequences.”