Today, US Senators Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) and Thom Tillis (Republican, co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group) issued a joint statement responding to President Donald Trump’s remarks about potentially withdrawing the United States from NATO.
The senators emphasized that NATO is the strongest and most successful military alliance in history, promoting economic stability and protecting America’s vital trade relationships.
“NATO is the strongest and most successful military alliance in history. It promotes economic stability and safeguards our most important trade relationships. It is a crucial force multiplier in an increasingly dangerous world. Year after year, our allies have worked determinedly to confront growing threats and have agreed to spend 5% of GDP on defense to strengthen burden-sharing. The American public knows that NATO makes Americans safer and more prosperous, which is why public support for NATO consistently exceeds 60%,” the statement read.
The senators also highlighted NATO’s solidarity with the United States following the 9/11 attacks, noting that allied troops fought and died alongside US forces in Afghanistan.
According to Shaheen and Tillis, any president who seeks to withdraw from NATO would not only fulfill the ambitions of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping but would also undermine America’s own national security interests.
“Let us be clear: Congress will not allow the United States to withdraw from NATO. A bipartisan bill, originally drafted by then-Senator Rubio and passed into law, prevents any president from doing so unilaterally. The law clearly states that only Congress can authorize a US withdrawal from NATO. This will not happen. Congress and the American people know that we are stronger when we stand with our allies. This is a fundamental fact, and ignoring it harms us,” the statement concluded.
