Congress bars any US president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO

The United States Congress has approved legislation preventing any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without the approval of the Senate or the House of Representatives.

The Hill reports this, Rubryka writes.

As the media outlet writes, the draft law emphasizes the commitment of Congress to the NATO alliance, which was the "object of anger" of former President Donald Trump during his tenure.

As noted in The Hill, during the presidency of Biden, the Alliance instead took on a new meaning, especially after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

"NATO has held strong in response to Putin's war in Ukraine and rising challenges around the world. The legislation reaffirms US support for this crucial alliance that is foundational for our national security. It also sends a strong message to authoritarians around the world that the free world remains united," said Senator Tim Kaine, one of the initiators of the bill.

The provision was included in the draft law on defense policy, which was passed by the House of Representatives of the Congress yesterday, December 14. In particular, it had a provision according to which the US president must obtain a recommendation and consent from the Senate or an act from Congress before withdrawing the country from NATO.

It should be noted that back in 2016, in an interview for Bloomberg, Trump stated that "NATO is outdated" because it was founded "many years ago when everything was different." In addition, in an interview with CNN, he said that US participation in NATO "costs us too much money" and that other members of the alliance "should invest more." Critics of the former US president speculated that he would abandon US commitments to the mutual defense of the alliance or withdraw the country entirely from it, the Hill writes.

So a provision requiring congressional consent in such a case "reaffirms US support for this important alliance that is the foundation of our national security," says Senator Tim Kaine.

President Joe Biden is expected to sign the defense policy bill that includes this provision.