That being said, was he this vocal about NATO when President Donald J Trump was saying the same exact thing? I don't follow Hawley or any of them.
Was he one of the few, the ones labeled 'the fringe of the GOP', supporting Pres Trump during those 4 years or was he just one of McConnell's minions that only spoke when he knew it wouldn't rock the apple cart?
We should be out of NATO, once and for all. It was designed to protect Europe, a continent devastated from 2 world wars, from the Soviets. Those days are over. The Europeans have elected people that have made them subservient to the tyrants in the EU cartel. Let them deal with it. If a country, ie Hungary or Poland, wants to form something, just like the Presidents trade deals, they're done 1 on 1. And I cannot imagine any service member not wanting to do a rotation in Hungary or Poland.
I wouldn't go so far as to pull out of the UN. But, if I were POTUS, Day 1....EVICTING THE UN FROM NYC-give them 6 months to move, stepping down from the Security Council, stating that US will only commit the SAME amount of personnel and equipment as any other country if any kind of UN mission arises-and it will NEVER involve combat troops, nothing but medical and logistics personnel.
All those countries hate us for being America, but come crying to us when they need us. No more.
I blame Woodrow Wilson. Truly one of the most reprehensible people in American history.
My new hero. Remember when MAGA attitudes like this used be cool? Rand Paul weaseled out of taking a stand.
Hawley’s right and the trend since the fall of the USSR is with him. However, I don’t like the timing. Adding Scandanavia to NATO is giving Putin the finger for his aggression, which he sorely needs.
Hawley is correct.
It is time for the EU to pay their own way, fight their own battles, invest in freedom.
In any year a NATO country does not meet it’s defense budget as delineated in the NATO agreement, they are suspended from benefits that year.
NATO is a useless, redundant organization.
We should have nothing to do with it.
Hawley is VERY SMART. Once Russia completes their ‘project’ in Ukraine (and they will, as even the US is all but admitting it now) - a lot of conservatives will be asking why we even got involved.
Hawley is now WAY AHEAD of them.
NATO has evolved as a way for European nations to foist their independent defense expenditures onto the backs of the American taxpayer. This allows these same European nations to deploy generous public spending that makes US leftists drool. As long as other NATO members reject their stipulated ongoing contributions and fail to bring their arrears to current, the US should diminish NATO spending by the TOTAL owed by other members.
The NATO burden sharing topic has been around for a long time, going back at least to the early 70’s. Nothing ever becomes of it save for Trump’s brief (and temporary) successes.
Certain elements of government and the defense sector are not interested in reducing our NATO involvement.
I agree with Howley 100%!!!!
Get out of NATO, period! And the UN!!!
How does admitting two more countries to NATO - both of which punch above their weight militarily - increase the U.S. defense burden in Europe? If you believe that Europe should take a greater role in defending itself, then the additions of Sweden and Finland are exactly the kind of actions you should support.
The US Senate has totally disgraced itself and proven they are NATO First/Europe First.
Republican Senators Beware: Your voters are AMERICA FIRST!!!
Eventually this vote will get them unelected.
As a first generation American (arr. 12/25/56) I have come to realize Europe’s dependence on America for its protection. I still remember the Marshall Plan and Berlin Airlift and America’s greatest delicacy — SPAM.(My Mom performed miracles with it in the kitchen). The Soviet Union was busy tearing off huge pieces of Eastern Europe real estate and adding it to their sphere of influence. Life was rough, while in America the streets were lined with money trees (so we assumed) and life went from Glenn Miller to Count Basie to Stan Kenton. Boat loads and plane loads of immigrants crossed the Atlantic in a westerly direction. Years later I returned to my point of origin and I noticed the many societal improvements that had taken place during my absence — fewer potholes than there were noticeable in the US, public transportation was cleaner and safer than it was in the US and even my American-born wife asked me: “Why in hell did you ever leave this place?” Everything we had in America was available in Europe and more. Family members laughed at us for our measly two week vacations while they enjoyed a month per year. If you had a job, it was more secure than what you had in America, we hardly saw any slums and homes were neatly kept, one could walk the street at night and be fairly safe. I had to convince my wife that we had to go back to America for my job. Adult males served in the military for one year while I served in the USAF for four. But then it dawned on us how Europe was totally dependent on America’s protective umbrella with relative few obligations. Drive past the huge Ramstein AFB and you know what I mean. See the long columns of American military rolling stock on the autobahn and you know that it was all paid for by the American Taxpayer. All tanks, vehicles and planes were American made. No wonder life in Europe is so stress-free and enjoyable. Europe is being cuddled and spoiled by America and Trump was the first POTUS who realized it and did something about it. Look at France — they are not in NATO. Why should they be? They are surrounded by NATO countries and feel themselves to be safe. Belgium and the Netherlands could adopt the same philosophy and Biden will let them get away with it. Not so Trump.
I absolutely agree with Hawley. Kleptocracy Russia is not the monolithic threat the old USSR was. They are essentially Europe’s regional problem, not ours. China, on the other hand, is the new USSR when it comes to monolithic threats.