US Lawmaker Defends Vote Against 'Misguided' Bill To Prevent Exit From NATO - Statement

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US Lawmaker Defends Vote Against 'Misguided' Bill to Prevent Exit From NATO - Statement

US Congressman Justin Amash on Wednesday defended his decision to vote against a legislative measure in the US House of Representatives that seeks to prevent President Donald Trump from exiting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2019) US Congressman Justin Amash on Wednesday defended his decision to vote against a legislative measure in the US House of Representatives that seeks to prevent President Donald Trump from exiting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

House lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the legislation in a 357-22 vote. But Amash, a Republican lawmaker from the US state of Michigan, said in a Twitter statement on Wednesday that he voted against the bill because it was "misguided."

"Yesterday, the House voted on an extreme, misguided measure regarding NATO. This bill doesn't simply instruct @POTUS [the president] he can't withdraw without congressional approval; rather, it includes a blanket rejection of any proposal ever to Congress to alter this alliance. I voted no," Amash said.

The legislation would prevent any president from using Federal funds to withdraw from the NATO alliance without the permission of Congress.

A similar measure has been introduced in the US Senate, though either bill would have to pass through both chambers unless the two bills can be reconciled.

But some of the 22 lawmakers who voted against the legislation said they did so because it would infringe upon the powers of the president.

"Some say a congressman shouldn't object that a bill applies indefinitely [because] a future Congress can override it," Amash added. "My job is not to consider what a future Congress may (not) do; I object to a current statement of policy that "reject[s] any efforts" unconditionally into the future."

Trump has repeatedly criticized other NATO members for spending too little on defense and has threatened to pull out of the alliance if its members do not contribute more.