US Senate Caucus on NATO: Congress will not allow US withdrawal from alliance

2026-04-02 18:49:35, Kosova & Bota CNA

The co-chairs of the NATO Watch Group in the US Senate have responded to US President Donald Trump's threat, stressing that the US Congress will not allow Washington to withdraw from the Western military alliance.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Thom Tillis said that NATO is the "strongest and most successful" alliance in history, arguing that it promotes economic stability as well as protects important trade relationships.

Shaheen and Tillis said that NATO allies have always stood up in times of threats, emphasizing that "our citizens know that NATO makes Americans safer."

“Let us be clear, Congress will not allow the United States to withdraw from NATO. A bipartisan bill that was authored by then-Senator [now U.S. Secretary of State Marco] Rubio, which became law, prevents any president from unilaterally making such a decision. Instead, the law clearly states that only Congress can authorize the president to withdraw the United States from NATO. This will not happen. Congress and the American people know that we are stronger when we stand together with our allies,” the two senators said in a statement.

A day earlier, the American leader told Reuters that he was considering withdrawing the US from NATO, due to the alliance's lack of support for American goals in Iran.

The US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, and the American leader has warned that the war could be over in two or three weeks.

President Trump also described NATO as a "paper tiger" in an interview with the Telegraph on April 1, warning that he was considering leaving the alliance.

Shaheen and Tillis also recalled that NATO helped the US after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and that "thousands of fighters died fighting alongside our troops in Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, there were reactions on this issue from two other US senators, Democrat Chris Coons and Republican Mitch McConnell. They reaffirmed their support for NATO after Trump's threats to withdraw.

Both Coons and McConnell assessed that NATO is the most successful military alliance in history.

"Americans are safer when NATO is strong and united," they said in a statement.

Any formal decision to withdraw the US from NATO requires two-thirds support in the Senate.

Trump and other US officials have questioned the value of the alliance if the US cannot freely use bases in allied countries to protect its interests.

Media reports this week claimed that Spain and Italy - NATO members - had refused to grant permission for US military aircraft to use their air bases for military operations in Iran./REL