US to withdraw from NATO? Lawmaker introduces bill, labels it - Not A Trusted Organization

Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, has introduced a new bill to make the U.S. leave NATO. He named the bill "Not A Trusted Organization Act", which makes fun of NATO's name.

He thinks NATO is no longer useful and says European countries aren't paying their fair share, making Americans pay more. The bill asks the President to officially tell NATO the U.S. is quitting, as allowed in Article 13 of the NATO treaty. It also wants to stop any U.S. money from going to NATO, according to the report by Newsweek.

What Congress has done before

In December 2023, Congress passed a bipartisan law saying the President cannot leave NATO alone — they need Senate approval or a full act of Congress. Back in 2019, the House also passed a rule stopping President Trump from quitting NATO on his own during his first term.


Mike Lee also introduced two more bills to check how much NATO countries are spending, one is the Allied Burden Sharing Report Act. The other is the NATO Burden Sharing Report Act. These were supported by Senators Rand Paul and Marsha Blackburn. Blackburn said these bills will show who is paying their fair share and who is not, as per the report by Newsweek.

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This is happening while people are again debating Europe’s defense spending and America’s role in world security. If the U.S. leaves NATO, it would be a huge change in foreign policy and affect military partnerships and global alliances.

What Trump said

According to the report by Associated Press, President Donald Trump has often questioned NATO in the past, but at the summit in The Hague, he said he supports NATO’s Article 5 — the rule that says if one NATO country is attacked, all defend it. Trump said: "If I didn't stand with it, I wouldn't be here." He was happy that NATO members agreed to spend 5% on defense, as stated by the Newsweek report.

Michael Williams, a professor from Syracuse University, was at the summit and said tensions were high. He said NATO's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, tried hard to get all countries to agree to the 5% defense target and keep Trump happy. Williams also said it's not clear if Europe really trusts the U.S. to stay committed to NATO.

What Senator Lee said

Lee said: “America’s withdrawal from NATO is long overdue.” He said NATO is based on old threats that no longer exist and that Europe should be paying more. He believes his bill will put America first.

Lee’s bill might not pass easily because many people in both parties still support staying in NATO. Trump also seems to be less against NATO now, which could mean less support for the bill from his side too, as reported by Newsweek.

FAQs

Q1. Why does Senator Mike Lee want the U.S. to leave NATO?
Senator Mike Lee says NATO is no longer useful and that Europe is not paying its fair share. He believes the U.S. is spending too much and wants to stop funding NATO.

Q2. Can the U.S. President remove America from NATO alone?
No. A 2023 law says the President must get Senate approval or a full act of Congress to withdraw the U.S. from NATO.