Brad Schneider Asks Witnesses About 'Trust Deficit' Between US And NATO Allies

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During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) spoke about Europe's concerns regarding US' commitment to NATO.

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00:00forces so we have to be very careful with these reductions and our overseas

00:04assistance if they have a legitimate national security value they should be

00:07maintained and when you eliminate 100% of everything I tend to think you really

00:12didn't do a legitimate review I couldn't agree with you more thank you all so

00:16much for your testimony I'm out of time and I yield back with that I recognize

00:21the representative from Illinois mr. Schneider thank you mr. chairman and

00:26thank you for allowing me to join this hearing and to our witnesses I appreciate

00:31your insights you all use similar imagery you talk about NATO as the

00:37beating heart the bedrock the bulwark that was very consistent ambassador Smith

00:42but you also spoke about a trust deficit and a paraphrase but many governments are

00:48worried that the US commitment to NATO is conditional or transactional are European

00:55allies right to worry about the US investment well I will tell you having

00:59just got back from Spain a couple of days ago and having the opportunity to meet

01:04with a number of allies across Europe there is a real concern that the United

01:08States right now is unpredictable and that its position both on Ukraine and on

01:13the NATO Alliance is entirely unclear they do not like that unpredictability and

01:19worry about whether or not you I'm going to ask my time back as I want to cover a lot of things but

01:24Dr. Gardner right to worry if I could respond to that actually and I've met with

01:29dozens and dozens of European delegations here in Washington over the past few

01:33months and also have been in several European capitals recently and and the

01:38message from our European friends is that President Trump is actually applying

01:43the right kind of pressure on our NATO partners increased defense spending to do

01:48more he is really shaking up the transatlantic alliance in a very positive way and I've

01:54not I've not heard the negativity that you're referring so I don't think this has been a wise

02:01maneuver just like I didn't think it was wise to pull out of Afghanistan without

02:05informing our NATO allies I think we have about a five-year streak right now of

02:09being too unpredictable and too unfocused on the actual rapacious

02:13authoritarians staring us in the face and if I can pick up from there I remember the images from

02:19Buccia the bodies in the street the hands tied behind backs the faces of ordinary people men

02:24women and children massacred in cold blood by Russian troops Russia's goal was not just to

02:29seize territory it was to extinguish the nation to remind those still under its power that resistance

02:35is fatal and to warn those who escaped if their safety was not assured there was no ambiguity ambiguity

02:42it was terror it was annihilation and it was specifically staged for the world to see and

02:48the world responded NATO reinforced its eastern flank our allies rose to the moment and for the

02:55time I would argue so did we but I think at this moment the United States is drifting not drifting we're

03:02actually being led away led away from principle towards paralysis the president has remained silent on

03:07as Russia renewed its campaign of drone strikes against civilians he has not condemned the atrocities

03:12he has not mobilized support he has not led and many in Congress including some of my colleagues on

03:18the other side today have followed that example they speak of Ukraine's cause but shrink from its

03:24defense they blockade delay action and offer platitudes in place of policy some have mistaken

03:29political convenience for principle or they have lost both we are once again at a point of strategic and

03:36moral clarity Ukraine is not asking for our troops it is asking for our resolve NATO is not demanding

03:43escalation it's asking for consistency each day that the United States hesitates NATO's deterrence

03:51is tested and not only in Kiev but in Warsaw Tallinn and billion and beyond and if Ukraine chooses

03:58to pursue NATO membership as we promised in 2008 as Nate as Ukraine is part of an agreement to

04:05relinquish its nuclear weapons it's part of the family of nations there has to be a clear and

04:10critical and credible path forward for Ukraine who has made sacrifice who has bravely fought the Russians

04:17we need to honor our commitments and admit that door to NATO remains open to free nations not just Ukraine

04:23but free made nations who meet its obligations and share its values so my my question I'll turn to

04:31Mr. Smith again Bukha was a moment of clarity the president has been silent on Bukha been silent on

04:41the renewed campaign Russia's renewed campaign of drone strikes against civilians he told Zelensky that

04:46he had no cards to play in the Oval Office I can only imagine what Zelensky was thinking knowing that there

04:52were plenty of cards left to play as we saw this weekend what does the president's silence communicate to

04:57our NATO allies and to Moscow in particular it has led to uncertainty about whether or not the US is

05:05clear-eyed here about who is the aggressor and who is the victim the US needs to state repeatedly that Russia

05:12is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim we must apply more pressure on Russia to move towards peace but

05:20we also have to ensure that Ukrainians don't have any limits on the size of their forces or whether

05:28or not they can build a future force so that this doesn't happen again thank you I'm over time as

05:33been noted here NATO came to the United States aid under article 5 after we were attacked on September 11th

05:40NATO has led the way in secure ensuring that Ukraine is able to defend itself against aggression from Russia

05:47there is no dispute there should be no question we have to be clear that that was the case I appreciate

05:53the witnesses testimony and I yield back I now recognize the representative from Delaware mr. McBride

05:59chairman I request 30 seconds to make a unanimous statement you'll recognize mr. Keating thank you thank you mr.

06:09chairman last hearing you referred to representative McBride as representative and I can't

06:16fathom how you just can't continue to do that in any case it's obvious to me that representative McBride

06:23wants to focus on the job she was elected to do so going forward every time you do this she'll demonstrate

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