Top Republicans Oppose Trump on Troop Withdrawal From Germany

The Republican leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services committees have raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany, a key ally of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).They warned in a Saturday statement that reducing U.S. forces in Europe would send the wrong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine and weaken collective deterrence.The president's plan comes amid growing strain between Washington and European allies over security and defense burden-sharing. This week, Trump launched a fresh verbal attack on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, shortly after threatening to reduce the number of American troops on German soil. Merz had said the White House is being “humiliated” amid its ongoing war against Iran. What To Know"We are very concerned by the ‌decision to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany," Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Representative Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican, said in a joint statement. Newsweek has reach out to Rogers' and Wicker's press teams for comment via email on Saturday.Wicker and Rogers oversee the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, respectively. The statement continued, “Prematurely reducing America’s forward presence in Europe before those capabilities are fully realized risks