NATO remains vital to U.S. security, but the Trump administration is offering mixed messaging on it, Sen. Thom Tillis said on Sunday while urging European allies to make sustained funding on defense.
"The NATO alliance is the most important alliance in the history of mankind," the North Carolina Republican said on CBS News' "Face the Nation," speaking from the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
He said Congress remains committed to the alliance.
"The president is trying to get our NATO allies to perform more strongly and have some level of independence, but Congress has their back," Tillis said.
Tillis said he would not describe U.S. support as "in a more limited and focused fashion."
"I would not have used those words," he said, adding that "our alliance is what makes us the world's superpower, what keeps this world safer."
He put much of the strain in the relationship on what he called a long-term defense spending gap in Europe.
Tillis cited "a $2 trillion shortfall" over two decades and said it has affected readiness, innovation, and manufacturing capacity. He urged allies not to treat reinvestment as a temporary response to crisis.
"Europe needs to step up, not let this be episodic," he said, adding that increased spending builds "their capabilities, their interoperability, their ability to work with NATO allies if a conflict occurs."
Meanwhile, Tillis spoke out about President Donald Trump's call for the U.S. to take over Greenland , saying it's "irresponsible" to escalate rhetoric rather than modernize existing arrangements.
"To me, it was irresponsible to go anywhere other than figuring out how we modernize the 1951 agreement," he said.
He urged "a little bit of respect to Denmark and to Greenland" and called for "a fiscally sound, sustainable way to project power" with Canada, Denmark, and other Arctic allies "to deter China and Russia."
Turning to trade, Tillis said Congress should focus on updating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
"What I think we need to do is get the USMCA modernization agreement on the table and address that in the context of strengthening our relationship with Canada and Mexico," he said.
Tillis added that tariffs can be a tool, but warned against broad, destabilizing moves.
"We need to be surgical and not use a blunt force object to negotiate trade relationships," he said.
He also questioned specific tariffs.
"I still, to this day, can't figure out why we have a 50% tariff on Brazil when we have a trade surplus with Brazil," said Tillis. "Those sorts of things are irrational to me."
Tillis also discussed the Federal Reserve on Sunday, reiterating that he will block moving nominations forward pending the Justice Department investigation involving Chair Jerome Powell.
"I've tried to make it very clear that I have no intention of supporting any confirmation of any Fed board member, chair, or otherwise ... until this is resolved," he said.
Meanwhile, when asked about the political outlook for November, Tillis predicted Republicans would keep the Senate but said the House is less certain.
"I think that we hold on to the Senate. I have questions about the House," he said, pointing to possible "overreach" in redistricting and "the historic challenge of a midterm election after a presidential election."
He also said he plans to keep publicly challenging the administration's approach and advisers.
"If I have to speak bluntly, that's what I'm going to do in my remaining time in the Senate," Tillis said.
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