Representative Jason Crow of Colorado is sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s sudden order to pull U.S. troops out of Germany, claiming the move isn’t just bad policy—it’s a violation of federal law.
Speaking from the McCain Institute Forum on Sunday, the Democratic congressman and former Army Ranger reacted to news that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal of a U.S. brigade.
The move has drawn rare bipartisan fire, with Republican chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees also lodging formal objections. Crow argued that Congress previously passed bipartisan laws specifically to prevent the President from hollowng out the American footprint in Europe without strict oversight.
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“It’s not just a lack of coordination or just Congress’s preference,” Crow told “Face the Nation.” “This is law. We passed these laws out of grave concern for rhetoric by this administration in the past… we are enforcing the law and the requirements.”
The dispute comes as President Trump suggested he wants to pull even more than the 5,000 troops initially discussed. Crow alleged the decision was a “retaliatory” response to recent comments made by the German Chancellor, rather than a move based on national security.
He warned that moving brigades is a high-risk operation that should be driven by strategy, not a “commander in chief who’s going to move thousands of troops around just to get back at a foreign leader.”
The Colorado representative also took a hard line on military spending, vowing to block a $1.5 trillion budget request from the Pentagon. Despite concerns about restocking munitions, Crow argued that the Department of Defense’s failure to ever pass an audit makes it a “black hole” for taxpayer money.
He compared the current tensions with Iran to the “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan, stating he refuses to write “blank checks” for conflicts without a clear exit strategy.
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On the domestic front, Crow addressed his recent “no” vote on a long-term extension of Section 702, the nation’s warrantless surveillance tool. While acknowledging its effectiveness in stopping terrorism, Crow expressed deep distrust of the current administration’s handle on the program.
He cited instances where he believes the Department of Justice has been politicized, including alleged legal threats against members of Congress.
Crow stated he would only support short-term renewals of the surveillance power to ensure Congress can “pull it back” if the administration oversteps. The current extension for the program is set to expire on June 12.
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