GOP members of the House Armed Companies Committee are placing up a united entrance in an effort to persuade President Trump to not undergo along with his plan to withdraw US troops from Germany.
In a letter despatched to the commander-in-chief Tuesday, 22 Republicans led by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) urged Trump to rethink the transfer.
“We’re very involved about studies that the Administration is contemplating a major discount of U.S. troops presently based mostly in Europe in addition to a cap on the full variety of U.S. troops which may be current there at anyone time,” the letter learn.
“We imagine that such steps would considerably harm U.S. nationwide safety in addition to strengthen the place of Russia to our detriment.”
Earlier this month, Trump ordered the Pentagon to lower the variety of US troops stationed in Germany by 9,500. The order, first reported by the Wall Road Journal, would additionally cap the American troop presence at not more than 25,000.
Presently, there are 34,500 American service members completely assigned in Germany as a part of a longstanding association with America’s NATO ally.
The choice got here amid rising tensions between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. These tensions reached a brand new peak lately when Merkel rejected his invitation to the 2020 G7 assembly that was supposed to happen this month, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
A senior administration official disputes that Merkel performed any function within the determination to pull the troops, nevertheless, telling the Journal that inside discussions had been ongoing since September, lengthy earlier than something occurred associated to Merkel deciding not to attend this yr.
That is not the primary time Trump has voiced some objection to a big troop presence within the area.
Throughout a July 2018 NATO assembly with Secretary-Common Jens Stoltenberg, Trump questioned why the US protects Germany, ostensibly from Russia, whereas the nation is concerned in an vitality cope with Russia.
“I feel it’s very unhappy when Germany makes a large oil and gasoline cope with Russia, the place you’re supposed to be guarding in opposition to Russia, and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of {dollars} a yr to Russia,” Trump advised Stoltenberg on the time. “So we’re defending Germany, we’re defending France, we’re defending all of those nations. After which quite a few of the nations exit and make a pipeline cope with Russia the place they’re paying billions of {dollars} into the coffers of Russia. And I feel that’s very inappropriate.”
”However Germany is completely managed by Russia, as a result of they are going to be getting from 60 to 70 % of their vitality from Russia and a brand new pipeline,” he continued.
Of their letter to the president, House Republicans conceded that Germany was deserving of some scrutiny.
“We strongly imagine that NATO allies, equivalent to Germany, ought to do extra to contribute to our joint protection efforts. On the similar time, we additionally know that the ahead stationing of American troops because the finish of World Struggle II has helped to stop one other world conflict and, most significantly, has helped make America safer,” they wrote.
The White House has not but publicly responded to the letter.
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