The US House has approved a sweeping defence bill that bolsters Europe\u2019s security, in what appears to be sharp rebuke to Donald Trump\u2019s mounting threats to downgrade Washington\u2019s ties to traditional allies and Nato.<\/p>\n
The bipartisan vote came just days after the publication of a White House national security strategy<\/a> that said Europe faced \u201ccivilisational erasure\u201d and made explicit Washington\u2019s support for Europe\u2019s nationalist far-right parties \u2013 rattling EU leaders and opening up a seismic shift in transatlantic relations.<\/p>\n By contrast, the House\u2019s $900bn Pentagon is notable for its pro-Europe orientation and its clampdown on Trump\u2019s authority to reduce troop numbers, move equipment or downgrade Nato-linked missions.<\/p>\n The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) \u2013 which now advances to the Senate \u2013 carries a robust $8bn more than the funding Trump requested in May.<\/p>\n It leans hard into European defence, barring troop levels on the continent from falling below 76,000 for more than 45 days and blocking the removal of major equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump and congressional Republicans are restoring American strength, defending our homeland, standing with our allies, and ensuring the United States remains the most powerful and capable military force the world has ever known,\u201d House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the vote.<\/p>\n In the national security strategy published last week, Trump lambasted Europe as an over-regulated, censorious continent lacking in \u201cself-confidence\u201d and facing \u201ccivilisational erasure\u201d due to immigration.<\/p>\n The document openly supported far-right European parties, questioned the continent\u2019s commitment to peace and indicated that its security is no longer a top US priority.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s administration accuses European nations of taking advantage of American generosity and of failing to take responsibility for their own destiny. The strategy document was welcomed at the weekend by the Kremlin<\/a>, which said it \u201ccorresponds in many ways to our vision\u201d<\/p>\n This week the president of the European Council of national leaders, Ant\u00f3nio Costa, warned Trump\u2019s administration against interfering in Europe\u2019s affairs.<\/p>\n \u201cAllies do not threaten to interfere in the domestic political choices of their allies,\u201d the former Portuguese prime minister said. \u201cThe US cannot replace Europe in what its vision is of free expression \u2026 Europe must be sovereign.\u201d<\/p>\n But the passing of the NDAA indicates the House is explicitly moving in the opposite direction \u2013 deepening US resources for the Baltic states and hardening Nato\u2019s northeastern flank, in a move that amounts to one of the strongest congressional assertions of Europe\u2019s strategic importance in years.<\/p>\n With support from the administration wavering, the bill also doubles down on Ukraine<\/a> \u2013 setting aside $400m in security assistance to sustain a baseline of support even if emergency funding stalls.<\/p>\n