Bill from Kaine, Rubio would block a president from withdrawing U.S. from NATO

Marjorie Taylor Greene is the latest MAGA Republican with the bright idea to pull the U.S. from NATO.

The Dear Leader, Donald Trump, back when he was president, threatened NATO withdrawal only slightly less than he promised that next week was going to be Infrastructure Week.

A rare bipartisan bill from Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (D-FL) would prohibit a president – god forbid, Trump, if he somehow schemes his way back into the White House, and other future presidents – from being able to withdraw the U.S. from NATO without Senate approval.

“Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine and Finland’s accession and Sweden’s pending accession into NATO all underscore the same thing: NATO is stronger than ever,” said Kaine, who you might not remember was on the Democratic Party ticket with Hillary Clinton in 2016, but he was.

“I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to NATO and ensure any U.S. president can’t unilaterally decide to leave the alliance without congressional approval,” Kaine said.

“NATO serves as an essential military alliance that protects shared national interests and enhances America’s international presence. Any decision to leave the alliance should be rigorously debated and considered by the U.S. Congress with the input of the American people,” said Rubio, who you also might not remember was one of the candidates in the 2016 Republican nomination field.

(He was cast as “Little Marco” by Trump. Rubio checks in at 5’9”. Trump is reportedly 6’3”, though he’s also reportedly only 239 pounds, so take whatever you see about him in terms of his measurements with a grain of salt.)

The bill from the 5’10” Kaine and Rubio would require the president to seek the advice and consent of the Senate before suspending, terminating, or withdrawing U.S. membership in NATO, and if a president were to try to do so without Senate approval, the bill prohibits any funding from being used to do so and also authorizes Congressional Legal Counsel to challenge the administration in court.

Full text of the bill is available here.