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A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has pushed back on Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO and has vowed to uphold the United States’ commitment to the alliance.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: It’s no secret that President Trump has had a bone to pick with NATO for quite some time. In recent remarks, Trump called the alliance a “paper tiger” and suggested the US could withdraw due to a lack of support for US military operations against Iran. Trump has also criticized some EU countries for not allowing the US access to their bases and airspace. His criticism builds on years of complaints that the alliance operates as a “one-way street,” where the US bears a disproportionate burden, though he has previously used pressure tactics to push members to increase defense spending. NATO, founded in 1949, functions as a collective defense alliance anchored by Article 5, which ensures that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all and is designed to deter conflict and guarantee the security of the US, Canada, and European allies.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Senators Mitch McConnell and Chris Coons released a joint statement pushing back against Trump’s remarks. The lawmakers wrote, “NATO is the most successful military alliance in history. It has underpinned the security of the United States for more than 70 years.” They stressed that “alliance disputes are as old as the alliance itself,” but warned that “Americans are safer when NATO is strong and united,” directly countering Trump’s framing of the alliance as weak or one-sided.

Other lawmakers echoed that sentiment with Senator Mark Warner saying NATO “has been the cornerstone of American national security.” He added, “It is not a ‘paper tiger’, it is the most successful military alliance in modern history,” and warned that any move to leave would be “reckless, dangerous, and would play directly into the hands of our adversaries.”

He also pushed back on the idea that NATO is transactional, noting allied sacrifices alongside US forces and arguing that dismissing the alliance as a “one-way street” ignores decades of shared military commitments.

Lawmakers have also pointed to concrete legal barriers that would prevent Trump from pulling the US out of NATO. A 2023 law co-authored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio (who was a senator at the time) and Senator Tim Kaine requires either a two-thirds Senate vote or an act of Congress before the US can withdraw from NATO. The measure, passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, states that a president “shall not” exit the alliance without congressional approval.

Despite this, some lawmakers believe that Trump could attempt to work around these constraints. While a formal withdrawal would likely trigger legal battles, Trump could still scale back US involvement without formally leaving by shifting troops out of Europe, reducing coordination with allies, and avoiding full commitment to mutual defense responsibilities like Article 5.