Congress has approved legislation that would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) without approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress.
Good. Congress is required to ratify treaties before they’re official, so it should also require Congress to nullify them if they are being ended outside of any predefined terms.
Good. Now vote a bill barring any president from unilaterally withdrawing from the Constitution
Like that would stop
PresidentDictator Trump.This is a big deal and should make it more difficult for Trump to pull the US out of NATO should he regain power.
Yes and no. What’s to stop Trump from phoning up Putin and saying ‘hey I can’t technically withdraw from NATO, but if you nuke European NATO then send Russian tanks into eastern Europe then I don’t plan to lift a finger’? i.e. de facto pulling the US out of NATO, if he’s not able to do it de jure.
Can Congress actually compel a President to direct the US military to participate in a defensive war in response to an Article 5 invocation?
Can Congress actually compel a President to direct the US military to participate in a defensive war in response to an Article 5 invocation?
Through passing law and impeachment for violating that law, yes. Realistically, no.
Technically, only congress is supposed to be able to declare war and the NATO treaty compels the US (and Congress) to oblige by its stipulations.
While it is true he could refuse to follow it, Trump would be in violation of the treaty and congress would be able to impeach him for it.
Of course, you are correct that if he has enough of a majority it won’t matter, (a lot of things won’t matter if that’s the case) but this does make things more difficult & risky for him if he doesn’t oblige.
