Marjorie Taylor Greene's Anti-NATO Bill Widely Rejected by Republicans

More than 100 Republicans voted against Marjorie Taylor Greene's proposed amendment calling for Congress to cut funding to NATO, which failed to pass on Wednesday.

The Georgia representative—a Trump loyalist and Republican hardliner who has recently moved to become one of the most important figures within the GOP—had linked her amendment to HR 4366, a bill that will fund military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other agencies for the 2024 fiscal year.

Greene's proposed amendment, called Amendment 3, asked to eliminate the $73 million increase to the NATO Security Investment Program.

"Democrats want this extra cash to increase our involvement in the Ukraine war. The House should pass Amendment #3," Greene tweeted on Wednesday before lawmakers voted on her amendment.

In a clip shared by the congresswoman on Twitter (or X), Greene told the House that the U.S. "contributes more than our fair share to NATO for Europe's defense, and it's time for European countries to pay their dues."

She added that the money that the U.S. sends to NATO "to defend Ukraine's democracy even though they're not even a NATO member nation" should be invested in the country's security and the "defense of our own borders."

But the majority of Republican lawmakers failed to support her, with a total of 137 voting against the amendment, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Some 83 Republicans–including Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Matt Gaetz of Florida—voted in support of the amendment, while five did not vote.

No Democrat supported Greene's amendment. A total of 210 Democrats voted against it, and five did not vote. The amendment was defeated by 347 to 83.

After the vote, Greene posted a clip from her intervention in the House on Wednesday about border protection, with a post saying. "How can the U.S. fund a war in Ukraine when we can't even protect our own border to prevent tragedy?"

Newsweek has contacted Greene's spokesperson for comment by email on Thursday.

The U.S. is the largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine, having committed $42 billion of military aid since the start of the Biden administration, but the aid is opposed by some Republicans. Ukraine is locked in a counteroffensive against Russia, which invaded in February 2022.

The NATO Security Investment Program, financed by NATO member states, provides installations and facilities such as air defense communication and information systems, military headquarters for the integrated command structure and for deployed operations, as well as critical airfield, fuel systems and maritime infrastructure, according to NATO's website.

The amendment was not Greene's first legislative attempt to diminish the U.S. support for NATO. On July 11, Greene filed six amendments to the contentious National Defense Authorization Act aiming to end assistance to Ukraine and withdraw the United States from NATO, which she described as "not a reliable partner."

While Wednesday represented a personal defeat for Greene, the day marked a small victory for McCarthy, who got lawmakers to start debating the first of 12 fiscal bills for next year despite hardliners' calls for deeper cuts.

The House ultimately voted 217 to 206 to open the debate on the military construction and veterans affairs bill. While the vote largely followed party lines, two Republicans voted against it. The bill could be passed later this week.