Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced legislation on December 9. 2025 calling for the United States to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), describing the Cold War-era alliance as obsolete and arguing American resources should be redirected toward domestic defense.
“NATO is a Cold War relic. The United States should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our country, not socialist countries,” Massie said in a December 9 social media post announcing the bill. “Today, I introduced HR 6508 to end our NATO membership.”
The legislation, formally titled H.R. 6508, would direct the President to notify NATO of U.S. intent to withdraw under Article 13 of the Treaty, prohibit any U.S. funds from being used for NATO contributions, and call for the repatriation of American military assets stationed in Europe solely for NATO missions.
The United States is a founding member of NATO, having signed the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, in Washington, D.C. The alliance was ratified by the U.S. Senate on July 25, 1949, marking the first peacetime military alliance the United States had entered into outside the Western Hemisphere. NATO was established to provide collective security against the Soviet Union in Western Europe during the early Cold War period.
The United States currently pays approximately 16% of NATO’s “Common Fund” budget, which covers headquarters operations, staff salaries, and shared infrastructure. This amounts to close to $600 million annually in direct contributions to NATO’s civil and military budgets.
According to NATO’s annual Defense Expenditure of NATO Countries report, the United States has spent $21.9 trillion on defense over the alliance’s 75-year history—significantly more than its 31 alliance partners.
The United States provided significant financial assistance to NATO members during the Cold War, including the Marshall Plan, which sent $13.3 billion (approximately $150 billion in today’s dollars) to rebuild Western European economies between 1948 and 1951. Additional billions in military aid flowed to countries like Turkey and Greece following their 1952 accession to the alliance.
The bill’s introduction follows the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, where member nations committed to increasing defense spending targets to 5% of GDP—a substantial increase from the previous 2% threshold that has intensified burden-sharing debates.
The withdrawal legislation aligns with Massie’s consistent advocacy for foreign policy restraint and non-interventionism. The Kentucky congressman has repeatedly challenged what he views as unnecessary U.S. military commitments abroad, arguing that American resources should prioritize domestic security rather than subsidizing the defense of wealthy European nations.
Massie’s approach reflects a broader “America First” perspective within the Republican Party that questions post-World War II alliances.The congressman has previously introduced similar measures challenging U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts, including resolutions invoking the War Powers Act to limit military engagements.
The bill faces significant obstacles in Congress, where NATO maintains strong bipartisan support among establishment neoconservative/neoliberal lawmakers who view the alliance as central to American security interests and transatlantic stability.
