Top Republicans warn Trump's Germany troop withdrawals send wrong message to Putin

Two top Republican lawmakers expressed their concern Saturday about President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from NATO ally Germany.“We are very concerned by the decision to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss, and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., respectively the heads of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, said in a joint statement.The president said Saturday that there could be more cuts to troops in Europe after the Pentagon announced the withdrawal. Trump told reporters: “We’re going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”The decision to slash troops came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told students earlier in the week that the U.S. was “being humiliated by the Iranian leadership,” unusually frank remarks that triggered a backlash from Washington. Almost 40,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Germany, the largest contingent in Europe.Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., expressed concern Saturday about President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Germany, in a joint statement with Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images fileWicker and Rogers said it was in “America’s interest to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe,” warning about the signal it would