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Top Democrats introduce bill to stop Trump's Germany withdrawal
The Hill ^ | 06 18 2020 | Rebecca Kheel

Posted on 06/18/2020 8:42:43 AM PDT by yesthatjallen

A pair of top Democrats has introduced a bill aimed at blocking President Trump’s plan to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Germany.

The bill, introduced by Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) in their respective chambers, would prohibit funding to implement a withdrawal in Europe unless several conditions are met.

“The current U.S. troop presence in Germany is in the U.S. national security interest. Full stop,” Menendez said in a statement. “The administration has made no effort to explain how our country is stronger because of this drawdown decision. Because we’re not. This drawdown weakens America and Europe. And Vladimir Putin understands and appreciates that better than anyone.”

In his own statement, Engel said that “rather than heeding the overwhelming bipartisan rebuke from Congress about this scheme and its catastrophic consequences, President Trump has once again made foreign policy decisions based solely on his absurd affection for Vladimir Putin, a murderous dictator who has attacked America and our allies.”

Trump confirmed Monday that he plans to slash the number of U.S. troops in Germany, which is home to the U.S. military’s European and Africa command headquarters.

Trump, faulting Germany for not meeting NATO’s defense spending goal, said he would cut the number of troops to 25,000. There are about 35,000 troops there now, and the number can go as high as 52,000.

In 2014, NATO countries agreed to each spend 2 percent of their gross domestic products on their defense budgets by 2024. Just eight countries are at the 2 percent mark right now. Several others have plans to meet it by the deadline, but Germany is not on track to meet the goal.

SNIP

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Germany; News/Current Events; US: New Jersey; US: New York
KEYWORDS: angelamerkel; army; bases; bobmenendez; eliotengel; europeanunion; germany; nato; newjersey; newyork
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To: SmokingJoe
I doubt if Germany is worried too much about Putin. They are just fomplrting a natural gas pipeline from Russia so they can buy vast quantities of natural gas from Russia. Nice economic boon for the Russians.

It's beginning to look a lot like 1939.

21 posted on 06/18/2020 8:56:06 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: yesthatjallen

Laugh of the day is Democrats trying to BLOCK troop removal from Germany. The party that doesn’t want to use military force whenever it is needed, now wants to block the removal of military forces.


22 posted on 06/18/2020 8:56:21 AM PDT by CdMGuy
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To: dp0622

I doubt if Germany is worried too much about Putin. They are just completing a natural gas pipeline from Russia so they can buy vast quantities of natural gas from Russia. Nice economic boon for the Russians.


23 posted on 06/18/2020 8:56:51 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: Rurudyne

lol

who needs a silly thing like a good and prepared military anyway? :)


24 posted on 06/18/2020 8:57:11 AM PDT by dp0622 (The very future of tihe Republic is at stake. We now know dems will do ANYTHING to win.)
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To: SmokingJoe

yeah so there is NO reason for putin to do something crazy.

If Trump declared the sky blue, a dem senator or house rep would call him racist and object.


25 posted on 06/18/2020 8:58:38 AM PDT by dp0622 (The very future of tihe Republic is at stake. We now know dems will do ANYTHING to win.)
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To: rktman
Bob Menendez might have a legitimate national security concern here.

If Europe falls, the Dominican Republic might be next.

That would cut off Bob's easy access to underage Dominican Republic hookers, demoralizing Bob, and thusly affecting national security.

26 posted on 06/18/2020 9:00:15 AM PDT by an amused spectator (Mitt Romney, Chuck Schumer's p*ssboy)
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To: SmokingJoe

I knew that misspelled word was completing.

i’m not an anal nutjob like some :)

but thanks for the correction


27 posted on 06/18/2020 9:01:33 AM PDT by dp0622 (The very future of tihe Republic is at stake. We now know dems will do ANYTHING to win.)
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Which democrat war machine cronies are losing money?


28 posted on 06/18/2020 9:01:56 AM PDT by dsrtsage (Complexity is merely simplicity lacking imagination)
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To: yesthatjallen

Anything to prevent POTUS from fulfilling his campaign promises


29 posted on 06/18/2020 9:03:12 AM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them.)
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To: dp0622

Democrats are now, 20-odd years after the demise of the USSR, in favor of a strong military occupation force in Europe.


30 posted on 06/18/2020 9:04:51 AM PDT by OKSooner (Don't buy from China. Don't buy from Microsoft. Don't do Facebook. Tweet only enough to get banned.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Until Trump was elected, the left, for the past forty years or more has called for the removal of US troops from Germany, and that was when there was a communist Poland and East Germany.


31 posted on 06/18/2020 9:08:41 AM PDT by Maine Mariner
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To: OKSooner

lol

but not back then :)

On what planet does it make sense for Putin to roll into w europe.

it’s laughable.

And if something crazy did go down in eastern europe, we could get plenty of troops there fast enough.

But again, i don’t think he will bother a nato country.

And the Ukraine situation is not a place that I want to see american lives put at risk. i could be wrong about that one


32 posted on 06/18/2020 9:08:47 AM PDT by dp0622 (The very future of tihe Republic is at stake. We now know dems will do ANYTHING to win.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Wanna see the Rats really scream?

Relocate those troops to Taiwan, facing the real threat.


33 posted on 06/18/2020 9:11:16 AM PDT by datura
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To: Sacajaweau
Germany is very wealthy.....and 9000 USA troops helps them twice...like double dipping. They spend their money in Germany and Germany can have 9000 less troops of its own.

EXACTLY! Also a LOT of German Civilians have high paying jobs on our bases.

34 posted on 06/18/2020 9:11:16 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (Until I see them breaking rocks in the hot sun I'll be cleaning my guns!)
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To: yesthatjallen
I bet these dems are getting big contributions and promises from moneyed interests supporting our troops. I’m sure the lobbying has been full tilt.
35 posted on 06/18/2020 9:13:07 AM PDT by Track9 (Islam: Turning everything it touches to ShiÂ’ite since 632 AD)
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To: dp0622

We simply must continue to counter the Warsaw Pact. These f’n democrats, when the Soviet Union still existed they couldn’t do enough to try to emasculate NATO.


36 posted on 06/18/2020 9:13:17 AM PDT by hardspunned (MAGA, now more than ever)
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To: hardspunned

the warsaw pact lol

It’s been so long I had to go look up the countries that had belonged to it :)


37 posted on 06/18/2020 9:15:29 AM PDT by dp0622 (The very future of tihe Republic is at stake. We now know dems will do ANYTHING to win.)
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To: yesthatjallen
Didn't the Dems back in the 1980s wanted us out of Germany? Now President Trump is doing it and they don't want us to. Are the crazy? 😋
38 posted on 06/18/2020 9:26:00 AM PDT by Deplorable American1776 (Proud to be a DeplorableAmerican with a Deplorable Family...even the dog is, too. :-)could you shove)
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To: 2banana

“If Germany was so frightened of a Russian invasion, you would think....”

...the Germans wouldn’t be making all sorts of risky gas supply deals with the Russians, and expecting us to protect them if things go bad.

While I understand that the historical reasons for US being in Germany, I am also tired of being the world’s policeman putting ourselves on the line for what benefit to the US? Many of these countries’ governments don’t like or despise the US, and especially since Trump has questioned the (stupid) way the US has been conducting its foreign policies. If these countries want to be friends with tyrants and communists, go right ahead...make your deals ...reality with a steel toe boot will kick them in the teeth.


39 posted on 06/18/2020 9:26:22 AM PDT by Susquehanna Patriot
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To: yesthatjallen
Top Democrats introduce bill to stop Trump's Germany withdrawal

At this point, I'm surprised John Roberts didn't save them the trouble and simply announce that Trump can't do it.
40 posted on 06/18/2020 9:32:29 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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