Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has actually presented legislation to pull the United States out of NATO, honing an internal Republican clash over the alliance even as President Donald Trump keeps pressing European partners on defense costs.
Massie’s NATO Act Targets Financing And Subscription
The expense, H.R. 6508, called the NATO Act, would direct the president to officially alert allies of U.S. withdrawal under Short article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty and bar making use of U.S. taxpayer cash for NATO’s typical spending plans, including its civil, military and facilities funds.
” NATO is a Cold War antique. We need to withdraw from NATO and utilize that cash to safeguard our own nation, not socialist nations,” Massie stated in a news release on Tuesday, including, “America needs to not be the world’s security blanket– specifically when rich nations decline to spend for their own defense.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is co-sponsoring the expense, while Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has actually submitted buddy legislation in the Senate.
See Likewise: Trump Verifies U.S. Taken ‘Largest’ Oil Tanker Off Venezuela’s Coast: Nicolás Maduro’s Federal government Refer to it as ‘Outright Theft’ And Piracy
New Law And Popular Opinion Complicate Exit
Massie’s push hits a law Congress passed in 2023 that intends to stop any president from unilaterally stopping NATO, needing approval from two-thirds of the Senate or an act of Congress before the U.S. can leave.
Popular opinion likewise runs the other method. An AP-NORC survey in 2024 discovered 61% of Americans state NATO subscription benefits the United States, while Seat Research study reported in 2025 that 6 in 10 grownups hold a beneficial view of the alliance, with assistance greatest amongst Democrats however still substantial amongst Republicans.
Trump Pressures Allies As NATO Enhances Costs
According to 2 different Reuters reports from 2024, Trump has actually consistently connected U.S. defense dedications to just how much allies invest, informing one job interviewer the United States would just assist safeguard NATO members “if” they paid more and setting off criticism after recommending he would even motivate Russia to act versus laggards.
Under that pressure, NATO leaders this year embraced a brand-new promise to invest 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, consisting of a 3.5% flooring for core military investments.
Read Next:
Image Courtesy: Alexandros Michailidis on Shutterstock.com