Sen. Mike Lee proposes act that would withdraw the U.S. from NATO

SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mike Lee introduced legislation that could remove the U.S. from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on June 25. 

A press release from Lee’s office referred to NATO’s recent summit as “ineffective,” alleging that European members of the treaty organization “hide behind America’s military.” 

The legislation, referred to as the “Not A Trusted Organization Act,” would order the president to remove the U.S. from the treaty. It would also ban the use of American monetary contributions to the alliance. 

“America’s withdrawal from NATO is long overdue,” Lee said. “My legislation will put America first by withdrawing us from the raw deal NATO has become.” 

Lee said he believes the alliance 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,” Lee said. 

NATO formed in 1949 

According to the United States Office of the Historian, the alliance was created by the U.S., Canada and several Western European countries to protect themselves against the Soviet Union. 

After World War II, it became the first peacetime alliance outside of the Western Hemisphere that the U.S. joined. As Europe struggled to recover from the destruction caused by the war, the U.S. became known as a strong force against communism. 

According to NATO’s website, help that the U.S. provided through the Marshall Plan helped Europe reach a certain level of economic stability. 

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