Ted Poe: “This week President Trump will join our allies for the important NATO summit. At the top of this list must be countering…”

“This week President Trump will join our allies for the important NATO summit. At the top of this list must be countering Russia's aggression and imperialism against our allies and the U.S. But to achieve this, everyone must contribute to the cause. Of the 29 nations within NATO, only 8 members--including the United States--are meeting the 2 percent of GDP pledge for defense spending. For years, there has been a historical problem of excuses made for noncompliance by some of our NATO allies. President Trump is right to bluntly encourage our friends to meet their obligations to deter Czar Putin. Neighbors in Texas ask me: Why does the United States spend more money defending some European countries than the countries do themselves? Fair question. Mr. Speaker, I support NATO, but our NATO allies would do well to stop criticizing the U.S. commitment to NATO and, rather, fully fulfill their commitment to our mutual defense. It is time to belly up to the bar and pay their share. And that is just the way it is. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the 29 countries and whether they are meeting their 2 percent guideline or not. NATO Members Meeting 2% Guideline 1. United States 2. United Kingdom 3. Greece 4. Estonia 5. Poland 6. Lithuania 7. Latvia 8. Romania NATO Members Not Meeting the 2% Guideline 1. Albania 2. Belgium 3. Bulgaria 4. Canada 5. Croatia 6. Czech Republic 7. Denmark 8. France 9. Germany 10. Hungary 11. Italy 12. Luxembourg 13. Montenegro 14.…”