LPWI Applauds Rep. Thomas Massies NATO Act and Demands Immediate U.S. Withdrawal from Outdated Alliance

The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin (LPWI) proudly endorses Congressman Thomas Massie’s “Not A Trusted Organization Act” (NATO Act), a bill requiring the President to begin the formal process of withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

For decades, Libertarians have warned that NATO—once championed as a bulwark against a Soviet threat that vanished in 1991—has morphed into a costly, provocative, and unconstitutional entanglement that undermines the American people’s security, sovereignty, and prosperity. Rep. Massie’s legislation is finally giving teeth to that conviction.

Created in 1949 to contain a Soviet Union that no longer exists, NATO is now more a drain on American taxpayers than a deterrent to aggressors overseas. Instead, the lopsided alliance has inflamed tensions, prolonged conflicts, and repeatedly put Americans’ and other allies’ lives and resources on the line in a game of military “chicken” that often costs us relationships and resources rather than wins new partners. The Cold War is over. NATO’s mission should be, too.

In the meantime, American taxpayers are subsidizing the interests of European bureaucrats while the European people receive no benefit. For 75 years, the United States has shouldered the lion’s share of NATO’s military and financial burden. Even after repeated pledges to spend 2% of GDP on defense, more than a third of NATO member countries still refuse to pay their fair share—choosing instead to free-ride on the backs of Wisconsin families and workers.

NATO’s Article 5 also erodes the Constitution, with a mutual defense clause that effectively invites foreign governments to drag the United States into war absent a Congressional declaration, increasing the likelihood that those governments will put their own people’s lives on the line as well. As a loophole that advances the imperial presidency, Article 5 directly contravenes the Constitution’s assignment of war powers and critically weakens popular sovereignty here and abroad.

Providing support and assistance to countries facing aggression anywhere is a bold affirmation of libertarian principles and should be encouraged—but with this insight comes the awareness that Europe no longer needs America’s unconditional, blanket protection. The combined wealth and population of Europe dwarf that of its chief direct aggressor. Continuing to treat allied nations as helpless dependents is neither strategically necessary nor morally defensible.

Leaving NATO is Not Isolationism. It’s Common Sense.

Withdrawing from NATO marks a return to a more liberatory foreign policy for all concerned: Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations—entangling alliances with none. Exiting this obsolete alliance would allow the United States to:

• End trillion-dollar commitments that drain the pockets of the American people and enrich only the top echelons of European bureaucracy

• Restore Congress’ sole authority to declare war

• Slash wasteful overseas military spending

• Refocus resources where they’re needed most

• Replace teeth-gnashing provocation with genuine diplomacy

The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin urges Wisconsin’s elected lawmakers to co-sponsor and vote for the NATO Act—not in the interest of isolationism, but rather in the name of meaningful, strategic defense.

“Wisconsin taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll wealthy European governments,” says Reese Wood, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin. “Wisconsin families should not be forced to pay the price—financial or human—for wars ignited by Brussels bureaucrats. And Wisconsin National Guard troops should never be deployed to police foreign borders .”

It’s time to act to liberate all people—here and internationally—from the bondage of entangling alliances. It’s time to leave NATO.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.