Republicans Slam Troop Pull-Out, Prefer Eastward Shift

0:00It's May 2nd. This is US News Today, your AI-powered source for national news. Two Republican lawmakers just dropped a joint statement blasting the plan to pull a US brigade out of Germany. That's around 5,000 troops. Part of the Trump teams pushed to shrink America's military footprint there. They're cool with pressuring NATO allies to spend more on defense. But they say Yankee forces now is a bad move. Germany has stepped up lately, boosting its defense budget and helping with US ops, like basing in overflights for big exercises. Still, the lawmakers point out it takes time to turn that cash into real muscle for deterring threats across Europe. Folks are worried this could weaken stability, especially with Russia watching closely. Pulling out too fast my signal weakness to Putin and leave gaps in conventional deterrence before allies are ready. Instead of ditching the continent, they want the Pentagon to shift those troops eastward. Eastern Europe has invested big in hosting US forces, strengthening NATO's front line

1:01against ongoing tensions. This sparks mixed vibes in DC and among allies, some dig the self-reliance push, others fear strategic holes. Expect more talks between the Pentagon and Congress soon to hash out the best play for transatlantic security.