The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill reaffirming Congressional support for NATO amid renewed concerns over President Donald Trump’s commitment to the 29-member alliance.
The NATO bipartisan support bill, which prohibits the use of funds to withdraw from the alliance and states that it is US policy to remain part of the alliance, was passed with 357-22 votes.
In addition to enforcing Congressional control over the money, the bill reaffirms US support for NATO and its mutual defense clause.
She is also in favor of Montenegro, its newest member, and for “robust” US funding for the European Deterrent Initiative and for the goal of every alliance member spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024.
Just hours before the vote, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell, the leading US diplomat for Europe and a staunch NATO supporter, announced his resignation amid tense ties in the transatlantic relationship.
The House vote and Mitchell’s resignation come amid tensions with European leaders over Washington’s commitment to NATO and transatlantic relations in general.
The New York Times recently reported, citing federal government sources, that Trump last year put forward the idea of the United States withdrawing from NATO, a move that would effectively destroy the alliance, which will celebrate its 70th birthday in April .
“The NATO alliance is central to American security and to maintaining peace and stability around the world,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a statement before the January 22 vote.
Mitchell’s departure will take effect on February 15th. He had been on the post for a little over a year. Elisabeth Millard, a career officer, will temporarily take over the job.
Reuters reports that Mitchell sent his resignation letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Jan. 4, saying he felt he had achieved his goals at work and wanted to spend more time with his family.
There was no obvious sign that Mitchell, a former policy analyst for Central and Eastern Europe, was stepping down in protest of the policies of Trump’s administration.
The government has consistently lost top officials since Trump took over the White House two years ago. Jim Mattis resigned as Secretary of Defense late last year after disagreeing with Trump’s Syria policy.
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