(CNN) President Donald Trump placed a hold on more than $200 million in recovery funds for Syria this week, demanding more information on how the money is being used, senior State Department officials have confirmed to CNN.

The confirmation comes just days after Trump announced he wants the United States to withdraw from the war-torn country soon.

The funding was to be used for basic infrastructure projects, such as restoring power and water and rebuilding roads. Then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the funding last month at an aid conference in Kuwait.

The hold on the money, first reported by The Wall Street Journal , signals an about-face for Trump, who just months ago agreed to an open-ended strategy to defeat the remnants of ISIS and prevent a power vacuum that would allow them to return or other powers like Iran to fill the void. In January, Trump signed off on a major speech by Tillerson in which he laid out the strategy for the country, declaring "it is vital for the United States to remain engaged in Syria."

But by mid-February, Trump told top aides he wanted American troops out of Syria as soon as victory could be declared, two administration officials said. Shortly after that, Trump said the United States was in Syria to "get rid of ISIS and go home" during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

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