Trump Thinking About ‘Punishing’ NATO Allies For Refusing to Help with Iran
The administration of Donald Trump is weighing potential changes to its relationship with NATO following a recent military operation involving Iran, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. The report said officials are considering options that could include adjusting troop deployments and reallocating resources among allied countries, based in part on their level of support during the operation.
The discussions come as part of a broader review of U.S. commitments within the North American Treaty Organization and could have implications beyond the immediate region involved in the conflict, the WSJ reported.
The report, citing unnamed administration officials, said countries including Greece, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania could see an expanded U.S. military presence due to their support during the recent conflict. By contrast, nations such as Germany and Spain were identified as potentially facing reductions in U.S. troop levels or resources, based on their responses to the situation.
Spain, led by socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has drawn particular attention. According to the report, Spanish authorities initially declined to allow U.S. forces to use bases in the country for operations and later restricted certain military flights through its airspace.
The developments come amid broader tensions between Spain and the Trump administration, including longstanding disagreements over defense spending targets within NATO. Spain has consistently failed to allot even the basic 2 percent of its GDP to its military, per the alliance’s agreement.
Germany has permitted the use of its bases for operations related to the Iran conflict, but senior officials have publicly criticized the U.S. approach.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the situation as a “massive escalation with an open outcome,” and said the conflict was “not our war.” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also criticized the operation, calling it a “disastrous mistake” and raising concerns about potential violations of international law, the WSJ reported.
Other U.S. allies have also faced criticism from Trump, including the United Kingdom, which he referred to as a “once great ally.”
The remarks followed decisions by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose government initially declined to allow the use of British bases for offensive operations and later permitted only limited “defensive” activities to be conducted from U.K. territory.
Additionally, France and Italy have been accused of denying U.S. access to their airspace and declining to participate in an international coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz while the conflict continues.
Expressing frustration with NATO in general, Trump posted comments on Truth Social on Wednesday criticizing the response of some NATO partners: “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again. Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run, piece of ice.”
The dispute over Greenland has been cited by some European analysts as a factor in strained relations between the United States and its allies. At the same time, supporters of Donald Trump have argued that recent disagreements over access to military bases underscore concerns about relying on allies for strategic positioning, Breitbart News noted.
Trump has long been critical of NATO, a stance that has historically set him apart within parts of the Republican Party. However, in recent weeks, other prominent figures have also raised questions about the alliance’s role, including his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
Amid heightened tensions between the United States and its European allies, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited the White House in what officials described as an effort to ease strains within the alliance.
In an interview with CNN, Rutte said he understood why Trump had expressed frustration with some NATO members, while emphasizing that the majority of European countries had provided support during the conflict.
Trump Admin Says It Uncovered $10 Billion Obamacare Fraud Scheme
The Trump administration says it has uncovered what it describes as a massive fraud scheme within the Affordable Care Act.
Members of Trump’s administration allege that roughly $10 billion in taxpayer money was improperly paid out between 2021 and 2024 because of weakened enrollment safeguards under former President Joe Biden.
According to a Department of Health and Human Services report, officials have already removed nearly three million fraudulent or improper Obamacare enrollments and estimate another 2.6 million questionable enrollments remain.
Administration officials say the findings are part of a broader government-wide effort to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across federal programs.
The report traces the alleged problems to changes made during the Biden administration that expanded enrollment opportunities while relaxing income verification and eligibility checks.
At the start of Biden’s presidency, approximately 10 million people were enrolled through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. By 2024, enrollment had surged to roughly 22 million.
Federal investigators now believe millions of those enrollments were improper, fraudulent, or created without the knowledge of the individuals involved.
“By our estimate, improper, phantom, and fraudulent enrollment peaked at 5.6 million people in 2025,” the report states.
“We estimate 2.6 million improper and phantom enrollments remain, including over 1 million enrollments without a Social Security number.”
According to the report, several different forms of abuse contributed to the alleged fraud.
Officials say some applicants intentionally understated their income to qualify for larger taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Others allegedly received premium assistance despite failing to meet eligibility requirements.
Investigators also identified what they describe as “phantom enrollments,” in which insurance brokers allegedly enrolled people in Obamacare plans without their knowledge to collect federal commissions.
The report argues that reduced verification requirements made those practices significantly easier to carry out.
Since taking office, the Trump administration says it has restored stricter income verification requirements, ended several special enrollment periods, increased screening for duplicate Medicaid enrollment, and launched investigations into brokers suspected of creating phantom policies.
Officials also say they have strengthened oversight of agents participating in the federal marketplace.
As a result of those efforts, nearly three million enrollments have already been removed from the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Even after those removals, approximately 19.2 million people remain enrolled.
The administration says its goal is not to reduce legitimate coverage but to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent only on individuals who actually qualify.
“Preserving the fiscal and programmatic integrity of the ACA Exchanges is key to safeguarding taxpayer-funded resources for those that truly need them,” the report states.
“The federal government paying brokers to enroll individuals without their knowledge is not.”
The report also says the administration will continue pursuing additional enforcement actions against brokers and others accused of exploiting the program.
“The Trump Administration continues to aggressively root out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption by promulgating new regulations to improve program integrity, investigating suspected improper or fraudulent enrollment, and taking action against agents and brokers committing fraud.”
The findings are likely to reignite debate over the Affordable Care Act and how aggressively eligibility rules should be enforced.
Supporters of the administration argue the report demonstrates that stricter oversight is necessary to protect taxpayers and preserve benefits for those legally entitled to receive them.
Critics of previous verification rollbacks have long warned that loosening enrollment safeguards could increase improper payments and fraud, while supporters of the Biden-era policies argued the changes made healthcare more accessible to eligible Americans, Fox News reported exclusively.
The administration says its investigations remain ongoing, with an estimated 2.6 million additional enrollments still under review as officials continue auditing the federal health insurance exchanges.
Trump has been pushing to replace Obamacare for over a decade, and this may give Republicans enough motivation to actually do something.
