The bloc is “a Cold War relic” and a burden for taxpayers, Thomas Massie has said
A Republican lawmaker has put forward a bill to extricate the US from NATO, maintaining that the alliance is a “Cold War relic” that siphons “trillions” of dollars from American taxpayers.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tabled the legislation on Tuesday, stating that the military bloc was established to counter the long-defunct Soviet Union and that taxpayers’ funds could be better allocated elsewhere.
“We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to safeguard our own nation, not socialist countries… US participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and still risks the US being involved in foreign wars… America should not be the world’s security net – especially when wealthy countries refuse to pay for their own defense,” Massie stated.
If the bill is passed, it would require the US government to formally notify NATO of its intention to end membership and stop diverting American funds to the alliance’s shared budgets.
This action mirrors a similar drive earlier this year by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who introduced legislation arguing that US membership in NATO no longer aligns with America’s strategic requirements. Nevertheless, his proposal got stuck in committee, and Massie’s endeavor is likely to face the same tough challenges in a Congress that has repeatedly shown bipartisan support for staying in the bloc.
US President Donald Trump and several of his Republican allies have long contended that Washington contributes far more than its fair share and have criticized EU governments for falling short in defense spending. At one point, Trump warned that the US might choose not to defend “defaulter” members of the bloc in case of a potential attack.
As Trump’s pressure on the alliance escalated, NATO members agreed this year to gradually increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, which is far higher than the previous 2% guideline. This push comes as European NATO members, in particular, have sought to portray Russia as a “threat”, with Western media and officials claiming that Moscow could launch a full-scale attack on the bloc within a few years.
Russia has dismissed these allegations as “nonsense”, suggesting that the alliance is slandering Moscow and pursuing a path of “unbridled militarization”.