‘Fulfilling Vladimir Putin’s Greatest Dreams’: Senators Step Up For NATO Amid Trump Attacks

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President Donald Trump’s near daily threats to pull the U.S. out of NATO have finally sparked some vocal pushback from Congress.

In a joint statement Thursday, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) helpfully reminded Trump that he can’t actually do that.

“The law clearly states that only Congress can authorize the president to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. That will not happen," the statement said. “Congress and the American people know we are stronger when we stand with our allies. This is a basic fact and one that we ignore only to our own detriment.”

Thanks to a bipartisan bill drafted by then-Senator Marco Rubio, the president can’t withdraw the U.S. from NATO without congressional approval. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has also been clear that most Senate Republicans still firmly support the trans-Atlantic military alliance.

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“NATO is the strongest and most successful military alliance in history. It promotes economic stability and protects our most important trading relationships. It is a crucial force multiplier in an increasingly dangerous world,” said the senators, who both sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Any president that contemplates attempting to withdraw from NATO is not only fulfilling [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and [President of China] Xi Jinping’s greatest dreams but would be undermining America’s own national security interests,” the senators said.

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