President Donald Trump’s vague vow that the United States will “take over the Gaza Strip” is sparking quick pushback, and confusion, among some of his key allies in the Senate GOP.

Trump provided no details during a press conference on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about how the United States would acquire the land, but said that the United States will “own it and be responsible.” Many lawmakers were learning about the remarks in real time as they headed to a vote on confirming Pam Bondi for attorney general Tuesday night.

“There’s probably a couple of kinks in that slinky,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said after a reporter described the rough parameters of what Trump had said.

Another GOP senator, granted anonymity to give his candid reaction to Trump’s comments, was equally direct: “I did not have this on my bingo card. … I got so many questions.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a brief interview that he hadn’t seen the statement, but that “I think we’re obviously all interested in facilitating a solution to the Middle East, particularly with the whole situation in Gaza.”

“How we best achieve that I think is still — it’s a subject of conversation, sounds like he’s got an idea on that,” he added.

It’s the latest in a growing list of examples of Trump catching congressional Republicans off guard with his actions or rhetoric — a call back to his first administration when GOP lawmakers frequently claimed they hadn’t seen Trump’s latest tweet or comment.

Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said he had not heard Trump’s remarks and so “I don’t want to comment.” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that “I don’t really know what to make of that” and joked that reporters should check back with him on Wednesday.

Other allies tried to walk a careful line between not shutting the door to Trump but also signaling their skepticism about taking over the Gaza Strip.

“We’ll see what our Arab friends say about that. I think most South Carolinians would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza. I think that might be problematic, but I’ll keep an open mind,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Asked about sending U.S. troops, he added that Gaza “would be a tough place to be stationed as an American.”

Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who noted he still had to take a look at the comments, said Trump might be doing this as a negotiating tactic. He added that maybe the president is trying to “force a resolution” on a “very difficult issue.”

“I don’t know that I think it’s the best use of United States resources to spend a bunch of money in Gaza, I think maybe I’d prefer that to be spent in the United States first,” Sen. Josh Hawley said. “But let’s see what happens.”

When asked if he thought sending US troops to Gaza was the right solution, the Missouri Republican said he did not.

While Democrats were largely critical of Trump’s remarks, one appeared to open the door to a potential American presence in Gaza: Sen. John Fetterman. The Pennsylvanian, who has been vocally supportive of Israel, called Trump’s remarks “provocative” but added that “it’s part of a conversation and that’s where we are.”

Asked if he wanted to see U.S. involvement physically in Israel, including troops on the ground, he added: “They’ll certainly be a part of it. I don’t know what the role is. But they’re obviously a part of it.”

Progressives were much more critical. Michigan Rep. Rashida Tliab, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, said in a post on X that Trump was “openly calling for ethnic cleansing,” adding: “He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing.”

President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, was confirmed by the Senate Tuesday evening, 54-46.

Bondi, a staunch Trump loyalist, will now assume the role of top federal prosecutor. She is poised to be a key figure in efforts to transform the Department of Justice, which the president has said he intends to use to go after his political adversaries.

As Bondi awaited Senate confirmation, the new Trump administration, under acting attorney general James McHenry, has already launched its broad effort to root out those deemed disloyal from the Department of Justice. Prosecutors involved in cases tied to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and the investigation into Trump’s role in spurring the riots, have been terminated.

When confirmed, Ms. Bondi will take the helm [at] what we all know is a turbulent time and also a Justice Department infected with political decision-making and its leaders refusing to acknowledge that reality,” said Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on the Senate floor ahead of the vote.

The former Florida attorney general previously served as a lawyer to the President during his first impeachment trial and assisted the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania. Democrats had seemingly accepted her confirmation as an inevitability when they instead used her hearing to probe Bondi on her response to comments made by another Trump acolyte who could likely be her subordinate: FBI director nominee Kash Patel.

In her confirmation hearing, Bondi declined to commit to enforcing the TikTok ban, offered a non-answer to whether former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election and did not provide a clear answer when asked if she would investigate Jack Smith, the special counsel charged with investigating Trump in the four years he was out of office. Trump has previously called for Smith to be prosecuted.

Some Democrats are sticking with a congressional caucus partnered with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency even as their party rails against its scorched-earth overhaul of federal agencies.

Multiple Democratic members of the caucus said they thought it was better to be inside the tent rather than outside, even as they disagree with how Musk is going about his job.

“The caucus is about focusing on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. I joined in good faith and to make sure that we have a voice at the table to protect my constituents,” said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), who added: “The illegal activity we’ll handle through the litigation process.”

“For now, I’m staying, but I’m staying because I’m going to talk to my Republican colleagues and basically ask them the question of, what’s the point of the caucus anymore?,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). “Elon doesn’t seem to think the caucus is necessary because he doesn’t seem to think Congress is necessary.”

A third Democrat, Rep. Val Hoyle of Oregon, said she’d stay in “for now” and stressed that the “caucus is different than what Elon Musk is doing” or a separate Oversight Committee subpanel chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that’s intended to be another, more official Hill counterpart to Musk’s effort.

Democrats in recent days have rallied against GOP moves like the now-paused freeze of federal funding and the access to the Treasury Department payment system that Musk and his allies recently gained access to under the DOGE initiative. It has given the party a messaging foothold as they chart a response to Trump’s second term, with a group of Democratic lawmakers protesting against Musk Tuesday at the Treasury Department .

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday he was open to a “conversation” about whether Democrats should remain on the Oversight subcommittee chaired by Greene.