Members of President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE's Cabinet, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper Mark EsperOvernight Defense: Stopgap spending measure awaits Senate vote | Trump nominates former Nunes aide for intelligence community watchdog | Trump extends ban on racial discrimination training to contractors, military Overnight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Official: Pentagon has started 'prudent planning' for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May MORE and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Vulnerable Democrats tell Pelosi COVID-19 compromise 'essential' MORE, on Sunday defended the decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria ahead of a Turkish military operation as well as a delay in sanctions against Ankara that have sparked bipartisan criticism.

Esper said the presence of U.S. troops near Turkey’s border with Syria would not have prevented Turkey’s advance into Syria.

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“I think they were fully committed,” Esper said of Turkey on “Fox News Sunday.” “We are not going to go to war, another war in the Middle East, against Turkey. ... That’s not what we signed up for.”

Esper also pushed back against host Chris Wallace Christopher (Chris) WallaceHouse to vote on resolution affirming peaceful transition of power Gayle King calls out Pelosi for calling Trump supporters 'henchmen': 'Egregious language' GOP lawmakers distance themselves from Trump comments on transfer of power MORE’s characterization of U.S. troops at the border as a “tripwire.”

“I’m not one to ... classify them as a tripwire and sacrifice them, if you will,” he said.

He insisted the White House remains committed to working against the Turkish offensive.

“I would say what we’ve been saying. ... We are doing everything we can to get the Turks to stop this egregious behavior,” he said.

Esper, meanwhile, confirmed on CBS's "Face the Nation" that the U.S. had withdrawn more forces than the 50 troops near the border between Turkey and Syria, saying the U.S. had pulled another 1,000 amid Ankara's advance.

“And so we find ourselves as we have American forces likely caught between two opposing advancing armies, and it's a very untenable situation,” Esper told host Margaret Brennan.

Mnuchin also defended a delay in sanctions against Turkey on ABC’s “This Week.” Trump warned of the sanctions if Ankara treated Syrian Kurds, who aided the U.S. in the fight against ISIS, inhumanely.

“Let me just say this is a complicated, developing situation. You have a NATO ally, on one hand, fighting against the Kurds, who were helping us with the fight against ISIS. We are in daily communications with Turkey, both at the Defense Department, the State Department, on very specific issues. We are ready to go on a moment’s notice to put on sanctions,” Mnuchin said.

Senators from both sides of the aisle also weighed in on Syria during the Sunday morning political shows.

Sen. Kevin Cramer Kevin John CramerAbortion stirs GOP tensions in Supreme Court fight Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day On Paycheck Protection Program, streamlined forgiveness is key MORE (R-N.D.) told CNN’s Jake Tapper Jacob (Jake) Paul TapperThe media's misleading use of COVID-19 data Julia Louis-Dreyfus: 'We can't spend much time grieving' Ginsburg Pence aide dismisses concerns rushed vote on Trump nominee will hurt vulnerable senators MORE that Trump was faced with more than a “binary” choice and that had the U.S. remained in Syria, the president might have had to make a decision about possibly fighting Turkey, a NATO ally.

"I think the president at that point has a not so much a binary choice as a decision to make as to which friend, if you will, do we stand with in this circumstance?" Cramer said.

"I wish it had been different. I can tell you that. But I'm not sure the president had a lot of choices," Cramer said. "We can't be in the middle of every skirmish in the neighborhood."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen Christopher (Chris) Van HollenCongress must finish work on popular conservation bill before time runs out Democrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate Mid-Atlantic states sue EPA over Chesapeake Bay pollution MORE (D-Md.), who is sponsoring bipartisan legislation to impose sanctions on Turkey with Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamLincoln Project mocks Lindsey Graham's fundraising lag with Sarah McLachlan-themed video The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error MORE (R-S.C.), expressed frustration at the administration’s pace on “Fox News Sunday.”

“For God’s sake, what are they waiting for, right? People are being killed right now,” Van Hollen told Wallace.

“Our Syrian Kurdish allies are being killed right now. It looks like many of the ISIS detainees — there are about 10,000 fighters — are now possibly going to be able to escape. ... They [the White House] look ridiculous right now, so that’s why it’s important that the Congress move forward on this front,” he added.

And Rep. Adam Kinzinger Adam Daniel KinzingerFox News reporter defends confirming Atlantic piece despite Trump backlash: 'I feel very confident' GOP lawmaker defends Fox reporter after Trump calls for her firing Lindsey Graham: 'QAnon is bats--- crazy' MORE (R-Ill.), an Air Force veteran, also blasted the withdrawal, saying that “we all know” a continued U.S. presence at the border would have prevented Turkey’s advance.

“To see this yet again, you know, leaving an ally behind, abandoning people that we frankly told that we were gonna be with is disheartening, depressing. Frankly, it's weak,” Kinzinger said on “Face the Nation.” “I don't see how it follows through on the president's promise, his biggest promise in the campaign to defeat ISIS because I think it is going to resurge.”

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE also warned about unintended consequences from the move, saying on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the Turkish invasion had thrown the region into “disarray” and that a potentially resurgent ISIS would benefit from the chaos.

"Obviously, the Kurds are adapting to the Turkish attacks. And we'll have to see if they're able to maintain the fight against ISIS. It's going to have an impact," Mattis told Chuck Todd Charles (Chuck) David ToddMurkowski: Supreme Court nominee should not be taken up before election Republican senator says plans to confirm justice before election 'completely consistent with the precedent' Sunday shows - Trump team defends coronavirus response MORE on Sunday.

"The question is, how much?" he added.