Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Saturday pounced on the Trump administration's decision to drawdown U.S. troops in Germany, calling the move "dangerously misguided."
The Wall Street Journal reported the pullback, ordered by National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, has been underway since September and is not related any tensions between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"The United States remains committed to working with our strong ally Germany to ensure our mutual defense, as well as on many other important issues," National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot told the news outlet.
But Cheney, a fierce advocate of a strong U.S. defense posture, was furious.
Cheney tweeted:
"This is a dangerously misguided policy. If the United States abandons allies, withdraws our forces, and retreats within our borders, the cause of freedom — on which our nation was founded & our security depends — will be in peril."
Democrats in the House and Senate also rebuked the pullout.
"This order is petty and preposterous," Sen. Jack Read, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, The Hill reported, warning Russia's President Vladimir Putin will take full advantage.
"It's another favor to Putin and another leadership failure by this administration that further strains relations with our allies."
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., agreed.
"Vladimir Putin must be delighted that the American president is gutting our own deterrent against Russian aggression in Europe," he said, The Hill reported.
"And the president's insulting dismissal of one of our most important relationships because of a personal vendetta confirms that he lacks moral leadership, respect for our allies, and understanding of our national security interests."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.