{"id":20601,"date":"2019-02-22T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:49:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:49:06","slug":"congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 For European allies worried about President Donald Trump\u2019s America First rhetoric, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/12\/nancy-pelosi-named-in-big-us-delegation-to-munich-forum-but-shutdown-looms\/\">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi <\/a>and visiting lawmakers came to Europe to point out that Congress is a co-equal branch of government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, Pelosi and a group of House Democrats spoke in Brussels after the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where she met with members of the Belgian government and officials from the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re not a parliamentary government even though we\u2019re parliamentarians,\u201d Pelosi said at a news conference. \u201cWe have Article 1, the legislative branch, the first branch of government, co-equal to the other branches and we have asserted ourselves in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her comments came as the largest congressional delegations yet visited the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and, days earlier, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/munich-security-conference\/\" target=_blank>Munich Security Conference<\/a>, an annual gathering world leaders. At both events, lawmakers held multiple meetings with leaders from foreign governments, the NATO alliance and the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Munich, Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Turner, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, said, &#8220;Congress does much more than be a commentary on the foreign policy of the administration. It\u2019s evidenced by the fact that there are 55 of us here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re not just making a statement, but in and out of these bilateral [meetings], I assure you that a bunch of work is getting done. We legislate and appropriate in areas not only in our portfolio but in ways that effect a lot of the countries here. Congress is fully engaged,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/munich-security-conference\/2019\/02\/15\/natos-internal-rifts-emerge-as-powerful-subtext-at-munich-forum\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"222\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1125033936.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">NATO\u2019s internal rifts emerge as powerful subtext at Munich forum<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Germany\u2019s defense minister is urging fellow NATO leaders to speak with one voice in their approach to ongoing crises, bringing to the forefront the simmering problem of diverging ideas threatening to split the alliance from within.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Assessments of transatlantic tensions at Munich ranged from \u201cpowerful subtext&#8221; to an \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/02\/17\/world\/europe\/trump-international-relations-munich.html\" target=_blank>open and angry<\/a>.\u201d While German Chancellor Angela Merkel\u2019s defense of the Western alliance was met with a standing ovation, Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s campaign rally-style exhortations that allies abandon the Iran nuclear deal and meet their defense spending commitments both fell flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps in a nod to the 2020 presidential election and a possible change, the lineup featured former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential candidate. He pledged support to NATO and the EU, arguing it was in America\u2019s interest to lead internationally. \u201cWe will be back,\u201d he said to his own standing ovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Democratic Party\u2019s new majority in the House has shifted the balance of power such that Democrats credibly defied Trump for six weeks over border security funding\u2014and were able to present an alternative voice in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Brussels, Pelosi pointed the House\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/01\/23\/us-house-votes-overwhelmingly-to-bar-us-exit-from-nato\/\" target=_blank>passage<\/a> of a resolution in January meant to bar Trump from withdrawing the U.S. from NATO as a product of Democratic leadership (even though the House also reaffirmed U.S. support of NATO under Pelosi\u2019s Republican predecessor, Paul Ryan, in 2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think that there&#8217;s any difference between Democrats and Republicans on our relationship with NATO. This is not partisan in any way,\u201d Pelosi told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/01\/24\/heres-why-22-republicans-voted-against-blocking-trump-from-nato-pullout\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"193\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18193442887188.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s why 22 Republicans voted against blocking Trump from NATO pullout<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Some House Republicans voted against a resolution supporting NATO this week because they saw it as an attack on President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans touring Europe also asserted themselves\u2014to warn the Trump administration off any plans for rapid withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan. Breitbart and The Washington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2019\/02\/20\/inside-patrick-shanahans-clash-with-congress-munich-over-syria\/\" target=_blank>reported<\/a> that acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan got an earful in a private meeting with more than a dozen lawmakers, particularly from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham told reporters he let Shanhan know the administration\u2019s plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria by the end of April, \u201cthe dumbest f&#8212;ing idea I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell, if the policy is going to be that we are leaving by April 30, I am now your adversary, not your friend,\u201d Graham said he told Shanahan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham reportedly launched into a list of consequences he feared would result from a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Syria without a follow-up plan: The Islamic State would return, Turkey would attack Kurdish forces, Iran would gain the advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Thursday, the administration reportedly said it would leave 200 troops in Syria as an international stabilizing force, which Graham lauded and appeared to claim as a victory. At Munich, he had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/15\/graham-us-looking-for-allies-to-replace-it-in-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">pitched<\/a> a similar idea along with a \u201csafe zone\u201d to guard against a conflict between Turkey and Kurdish forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe and House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mac Thornberry, who met with Ghani along with other U.S. lawmakers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/16\/us-lawmakers-meet-ghani-warn-against-big-afghanistan-troop-pullout\/\" target=_blank>told reporters<\/a> during Munich the White House ought not to pursue a large pullout of U.S. troops, absent better progress in peace talks. Both are Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even Democrats skeptical of U.S. military intervention offered similar criticism. Munich hosted a late night <a href=\"https:\/\/www.securityconference.de\/en\/media-library\/munich-security-conference-2019\/video\/congressional-night-cap-session-the-us-congress-and-its-role-in-international-security-policy\/#main-content\" target=_blank>panel<\/a> Feb. 16 about Congress and national security that featured Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a member of the House Homeland Security, Budget and Judiciary committees. The U.S. needs to engage allies, \u201cwhen we make major decisions such as Syria and Afghanistan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCongress has to be the adult in the room,\u201d Jackson Lee said. \u201cI\u2019ve been on the side of opposing the Iraq War extensively, and questioned Syria, but I do believe [in] the responsibility of Congress for checks and balances. Precipitous withdrawals that impact our allies is not an adult way to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beside Jackson Lee sat Turner, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and former acting assistant secretary of defense, and Sen. Chris Coons, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. U.S. lawmakers who came to Munich, they said, wanted to show the world there is another branch of government, and it values alliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere were many senators and House members that, given the current context, felt called to invest the time and energy to be here,\u201d said Coons, D-Del. \u201cYou have people who are really far apart in our domestic politics saying the same thing about the value of NATO, the transatlantic relationship, our determination to stay with you going forward in our security commitments and the value commitments that hold us together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Congress often stumbles on budgeting, Jackson Lee emphasized that House Democrats have embraced Congress\u2019s oversight role, with investigations into the executive branch and the 2016 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have the power, we need to use it,\u201d said Jackson Lee.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2018\/05\/16\/broad-new-war-authorization-roiling-us-lawmakers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18113844473168.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Broad new war authorization roils US lawmakers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he wants to reach consensus on his expansive new war authorization before putting it to a vote, but that consensus seemed far away Wednesday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the reassurance tour, how far will Congress actually go to check this commander-in-chief?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Slotkin, D-Mich., said there\u2019s an appetite in the new Congress to update the post-9\/11 authorizations of the use of military force, an issue mired in partisan gridlock for years. Republican lawmakers have had an expansive view of executive power, while Democrats for the most part have wanted to rein it way in, with no easy middle ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI acknowledge there\u2019s debate, but we owe it to the forces fighting these wars to actually power through the debate and get something done,\u201d said adding: \u201cIf we are sending them into war, then Congress can negotiate a new AUMF.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The test is now. Days after Slotkin, Coons, Turner and Jackson Lee affirmed Congress must assert itself before the executive branch takes any military action against Iran, The Washington Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2019\/feb\/18\/iran-al-qaeda-alliance-may-provide-legal-rationale\/\" target=_blank>reported<\/a> that Trump administration officials see coordination in Syria between Tehran and al Qaeda\u2014which could be used to justify strikes against Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/01\/08\/bolton-turkey-trump-syria-plans-1088715\" target=_blank>Politico<\/a>, national security adviser John Bolton has promised Turkish officials that a residual American force at the Syrian base al Tanf would remain a hedge against Iran. The problem is that\u2019s not sanctioned by Congress, Slotkin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is not in any version of the AUMF that we have,\u201d Slotkin said. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I don\u2019t want to go after Iranians. I\u2019m a Shia militia expert by training. But that is not authorized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My statement on President <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> decision to leave 200 American troops in Syria. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OA5apTumm5\">pic.twitter.com\/OA5apTumm5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LindseyGrahamSC\/status\/1098745353346711557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":43798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"8":{"categories":["congress","federal-oversight","daily-brief","newsletters","home"],"primary_category":"congress"}}},"categories":[8,160,36,30,119],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-20601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-smr","category-munich-security-conference"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"3NMOPTH6ZVBIFBBTTYJ7N263YA","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-22T09:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T21:49:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-02-22T09:00:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T21:49:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1273,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Congress\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\",\n\t                \"The Munich Security Conference\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-02-22T09:00:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T21:49:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/22\\\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe - Defense News","description":"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe","og_description":"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2019-02-22T09:00:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T21:49:06+00:00","author":"Joe Gould","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joe Gould","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe","datePublished":"2019-02-22T09:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T21:49:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/"},"wordCount":1273,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Congress","Daily News Roundup","Newsletters","Special Multimedia Reports","The Munich Security Conference"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/","name":"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2019-02-22T09:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T21:49:06+00:00","description":"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers went to Europe to say there is another branch of government that values alliances.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/22\/congress-foreign-policy-flex-in-europe\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/","ad_zone":"congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Congress\u2019 foreign policy flex in Europe"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1125787108.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20601"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74379,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20601\/revisions\/74379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20601"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=20601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}