Washington has $33 trillion in debt and cannot keep funding other nations’ security, Mike Waltz has said
The US has run its debt so high that it can no longer afford spending money on the protection of freeloading NATO members, particularly those in Europe, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said.
The administration of President Donald Trump is pressuring fellow NATO member states to ratchet up their defense budgets. It is also urging allies in Europe to provide security for Ukraine with minimal involvement from the US – a stark departure from previous policy.
”The United States, with $33 trillion in debt, can literally no longer afford to subsidize European security,” Waltz told the New York Post on Tuesday, reflecting on Trump’s first 100 days in office.
The administration plans to differentiate between nations that meet or exceed NATO spending targets and those that fall short, Waltz said. He emphasized that European countries have dragged their feet on military spending despite calling Russia an escalating threat for over a decade.
Waltz’s criticisms extended beyond Europe, as he mentioned US military action in Yemen, which the Pentagon says aims to protect navigation in the Red Sea against Houthi rebels.
”The vast majority of that shipping goes to Europe,” he noted, adding that nations benefiting from the trade “haven’t invested in their navies to be able to handle – or at least assist us in a much greater way.”
The Houthis are targeting vessels they associate with Israel as part of a strategy to pressure the Israeli government over its military operations in Gaza. West Jerusalem began its campaign there in retaliation for a deadly raid by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023.
Waltz also took issue with Canada, arguing that it “should have bases on its northern slope” and “icebreakers up in the Arctic with new oil and gas, with critical minerals, with the Chinese and the Russians pushing up into that area, new shipping lanes.”
Currently, the US operates two active heavy icebreakers – the USCGC Healy and the USCGC Polar Star – along with nine Bay-class cutter tugboats, the most recent of which was commissioned in 1988. In January, Trump announced plans for his administration to order “about 40 Coast Guard big icebreakers.” Canada’s icebreaker fleet consists of 20 vessels, ranging from small air-cushioned craft to two heavy ships.
