U.S. Congress Moves to Rein In Trump on USFK Cuts, Tightens Oversight

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\r\n[Financial News] The U.S. Congress is understood to have prepared a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that further strengthens restrictions aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from unilaterally reducing United States Forces Korea (USFK). Previously, only funds authorized under the defense budget were barred from being used for cuts, but the new draft expands that restriction to include money appropriated under other laws as well.
According to the Chairman's mark for fiscal year 2027 NDAA draft, which was released on the 28th local time and covers the period from October 2026 to September 2027, the House Armed Services Committee decided to extend the current fiscal year 2026 NDAA provision on oversight of U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula through fiscal year 2027.
The current NDAA stipulates that funds authorized under the defense authorization law cannot be used to reduce USFK to fewer than 28,500 troops. The new draft keeps that ban in place while broadening its scope.
It explicitly states that no funds appropriated under any other law for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 may be used to cut USFK below 28,500 personnel, in addition to NDAA funds.
The move is interpreted as an attempt to block even the possibility that Trump could pursue troop reductions indirectly by tapping other budget items.
The draft is also reported to include provisions that curb unilateral presidential decisions on reducing and redeploying U.S. forces in Europe.
However, these provisions are seen as closer to recommendations than to legally binding mandatory rules.
The current NDAA includes a clause allowing the restriction to be lifted after 60 days if Congress is notified that the move serves U.S. national security interests or follows consultations with South Korea, Japan, UNC member states, and others. The 2027 NDAA is also likely to include a similar exception.
Even so, diplomats say the mere existence of congressional checks could help restrain any abrupt shift in Trump’s alliance policy.
Analysts say Congress is moving to tighten limits on USFK reductions in response to Trump’s recent moves that have been viewed as undermining alliances.
Trump recently voiced public frustration with Germany, which he believed had been reluctant to support U.S. troop deployments during the Iran war, and he even ordered a reduction of U.S. forces in Germany, heightening concerns about alliance management in Washington and beyond.
Still, because the NDAA must pass both the House and the Senate and then be signed by the president before it takes effect, the wording could still be revised during Senate deliberations.
The National Defense Authorization Act is an annual bill that authorizes the U.S. Department of Defense’s spending and sets the broad direction of key security policies.
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km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter