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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Republican Senator Mike Lee has introduced a bill to withdraw the U.S. from NATO, which comes after a two-day alliance summit in The Hague.
In reference to the alliance's acronym, the Utah lawmaker introduced the Not A Trusted Organization (NATO) Act to take the U.S. out from the bloc, which he said had "run its course" as he accused its European members of "making American taxpayers pick up the check for decades."
The act would direct President Donald Trump to provide notice of denunciation of U.S. membership in NATO, consistent with Article 13 of the alliance treaty, Lee said.
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However, the bill faces uncertain prospects given prior bipartisan moves to prevent U.S. withdrawal from NATO. Also at the alliance's meeting on Wednesday, Trump welcomed increased defense spending among members.
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Newsweek has contacted NATO and Lee's office for comment.
Why It Matters
Lee's bill surfaces amid renewed debate over Europe's defense spending, U.S. global commitments and questions about the future American role in European security.
Trump has previously raised doubts about the U.S.'s commitment to the alliance, a withdrawal from which would represent a major reversal of U.S. policy with implications for transatlantic security, military cooperation and global alliances.
What To Know
The Not A Trusted Organization (NATO) Act proposed by Lee would require the president to formally notify the North Atlantic Council of U.S. withdrawal in accordance with Article 13 of the treaty and prohibit U.S. funding of the alliance.
But Congress has previously taken steps to shield NATO membership from unilateral presidential action. In December 2023, lawmakers approved a bipartisan measure as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, requiring a president to obtain Senate approval or an act of Congress before withdrawing the U.S. from NATO.
In 2019, the House of Representatives passed legislation to prevent Trump from seeking a U.S. withdrawal from NATO without congressional approval during his first term, amid concerns about his stated skepticism of the alliance.
Lee has also this week introduced two companion bills—the Allied Burden Sharing Report Act and the NATO Burden Sharing Report Act to show whether alliance countries contributing their promised share to collective defense.
These two latter bills are backed by fellow Republican senators Rand Paul and Marsha Blackburn. Blackburn said these bills "will shine a light on who's paying their fair share—and who's not."
Trump may have worried allies about his commitment to NATO, but praised its new agreement to increase spending among members to five percent at the alliance central to U.S. defense since its founding in 1949 and has increased in size following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
While Trump's America First agenda downplays the importance of multi-lateral institutions, the president said he backed the alliance's Article 5 mutual defense clause, saying, "I stand with it. That's why I'm here," according to the Associated Press.
Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, attended the NATO summit Wednesday and told Newsweek that tensions at the first alliance meeting of this Trump administration were high.
But the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte worked hard to get all the allies to commit to five percent on defense spending and went out of his way to mollify Trump, Williams said.
"The question is whether the Europeans are using this summit to buy time for their own capability development, or if they truly believe the U.S. is still a committed ally," he added.
What People Are Saying
Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said: "America's withdrawal from NATO is long overdue. NATO has run its course – the threats that existed at its inception are no longer relevant 76 years later. If they were, Europe would be paying their fair share instead of making American taxpayers pick up the check for decades.
"My legislation will put America first by withdrawing us from the raw deal NATO has become."
President Donald Trump at the Hague on Wednesday said of NATO's Article 5 clause: "If I didn't stand with it, I wouldn't be here."
What Happens Next
The Not A Trusted Organization (NATO) Act faces uncertain prospects in Congress, given prior bipartisan moves to make NATO withdrawal legally and politically difficult. Also Trump has pledged his backing for the alliance at its summit on Wednesday signaling a shift away from his previous skepticism.
Update 6/26/25, 9 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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