US troops in Grafenwoehr, Germany on March 4, 2020. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

“We’re at 52,000 soldiers in Germany. That’s a tremendous amount of soldiers, that’s a tremendous cost to the United States. Germany, as you know, is very delinquent in their payments to NATO. And they are paying 1 percent. This is supposed to be 2 percent. And 2 percent is very low. So it should be more than that,” he said.

Last week, 22 House Armed Services Committee Republicans called on the administration in a letter to reconsider its position.

Trump’s plan raises fresh questions about his commitment to longstanding cooperation agreements with European allies. Some observers fear the move could undermine NATO security.