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H.R. 676 (116th): NATO Support Act

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The text of the bill below is as of Jan 17, 2019 (Introduced).

Summary of this bill

"The President shall not withdraw support from NATO."

This bill would prevent President Trump from withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. The legislation was passed by the House in response to reports that the President had proposed withdrawing from the alliance of western nations.

NATO is a political and military alliance between North American and European countries. It is comprised of 29 nations including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. From their website: "NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the …

I

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 676

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 17, 2019

(for himself, Mr. Malinowski, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Hurd of Texas, Mr. Upton, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Spanberger, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Gallagher, and Mr. Engel) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

A BILL

To reiterate the support of the Congress of the United States for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the NATO Support Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that:

(1)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which came into being through the North Atlantic Treaty, which entered into force on April 4, 1949, between the United States of America and the other founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has served as a pillar of international peace and stability, a critical component of United States security, and a deterrent against adversaries and external threats.

(2)

The House of Representatives affirmed in H. Res. 397, on June 27, 2017, that—

(A)

NATO is one of the most successful military alliances in history, deterring the outbreak of another world war, protecting the territorial integrity of its members, and seeing the Cold War through to a peaceful conclusion;

(B)

NATO remains the foundation of United States foreign policy to promote a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace;

(C)

the United States is solemnly committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty; and

(D)

the House of Representatives—

(i)

strongly supports the decision at the NATO Wales Summit in 2014 that each alliance member would aim to spend at least 2 percent of its nation’s gross domestic product on defense by 2024;

(ii)

condemns any threat to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and democracy of any NATO ally; and

(iii)

welcomes the Republic of Montenegro as the 29th member of the NATO Alliance.

3.

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)

the President shall not withdraw the United States from NATO; and

(2)

the case Goldwater v. Carter is not controlling legal precedent with respect to the withdrawal of the United States from a treaty.

4.

Statement of policy

It is the policy of the United States—

(1)

to remain a member in good standing of NATO;

(2)

to reject any efforts to withdraw the United States from NATO, or to indirectly withdraw from NATO by condemning or reducing contributions to NATO structures, activities, or operations, in a manner that creates a de facto withdrawal;

(3)

to continue to work with NATO members to meet their 2014 Wales Defense Investment Pledge commitments; and

(4)

to support robust United States funding for the European Deterrence Initiative, which increases the ability of the United States and its allies to deter and defend against Russian aggression.

5.

Prohibition on the use of funds to withdraw from NATO

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds are authorized to be appropriated, obligated, or expended to take any action to withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty, done at Washington, DC on April 4, 1949, between the United States of America and the other founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.