[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H5211-H5214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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REAFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC
TREATY ORGANIZATION'S PRINCIPLE OF COLLECTIVE DEFENSE
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res 397) solemnly reaffirming the
commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization's principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article
5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 397
Whereas more than 250,000 Americans died in the Second
World War to liberate Europe from the scourge of genocidal
fascism;
Whereas in the wake of the cataclysm of the Second World
War, the United States, Canada, and European partners founded
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Washington
in 1949;
Whereas the foundation of NATO is collective defense as
enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty which
states that, ``The Parties agree that an armed attack against
one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be
considered an attack against them all.'';
Whereas 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;
Whereas Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty has only
been invoked once in history when alliance members came to
the aid of the United States following the terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001;
Whereas NATO allies and partners, including Canada and
countries in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, including
countries of the Western Balkans, and the former Soviet Union
have stood alongside the United States in joint operations in
the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere around
the globe;
Whereas NATO remains the foundation of United States
foreign policy of promoting a Europe that is whole, free, and
at peace;
Whereas at the Wales Summit in 2014, NATO leaders agreed
that each alliance member would spend at least two percent of
its nation's gross domestic product on defense by 2024;
Whereas multiple Presidents have reaffirmed the commitment
of the United States to the collective defense guarantees in
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty; and
Whereas the Constitution of the United States grants
Congress the sole power to declare war: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) solemnly reaffirms the commitment of the United States
to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's principle of
collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North
Atlantic Treaty;
(2) strongly supports the decision at the NATO Wales Summit
in 2014 that each alliance member would spend at least two
percent of its nation's gross domestic product on defense by
2024;
(3) condemns any threat to the sovereignty, territorial
integrity, freedom and democracy of any NATO ally; and
(4) welcomes the Republic of Montenegro as the 29th member
of the NATO Alliance.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and
extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on this
measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Pelosi.
I want to thank Leader McCarthy and Minority Whip Hoyer for their
leadership on this important resolution and, of course, Ranking Member
Engel, who has also been a strong supporter of the NATO alliance.
Mr. Speaker, in 1949, 12 free, democratic nations bound themselves
together in an unprecedented defense alliance, the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. These founding members acted in the aftermath of
the Second World War to promote peace in Europe, to promote their
freedom, and to face the threats they saw emerging on the horizon. Now,
more than six decades later, this alliance has been the cornerstone of
transatlantic security, and it has attracted other freedom-loving
democratic nations to join its ranks.
Of course, article 5's principle of collective defense has been key
to the success of the alliance, and we will not forget how the United
States has benefited from that principle as NATO members unanimously
elected to come to our support after the terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001.
Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyber attacks,
nonconventional attacks by terrorist groups against our people, these
are threats that NATO's founders could not have anticipated, yet they
are the challenges that we must act now to address. We are stronger, no
question, when we act together.
Now, Moscow's strategic objective is to break apart the NATO alliance
to boost Russian geopolitical influence in Western Europe. In light of
this, it is even more important that NATO members meet the standard of
investing 2 percent of their GDP on defense. We appreciate the few who
already meet the minimum requirement: Estonia, Greece, Poland, and the
U.K. At the administration's urging, others have stepped up their game,
such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania, but others have further to go.
This resolution calls on NATO members to meet these commitments while
also reaffirming our commitment to NATO and to the article 5 provision
for collective defense.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this
resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure. Let me start
by thanking the leaders on both sides of the aisle who worked to bring
this measure forward: Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi; the majority
leader, Mr. McCarthy; the minority whip, Mr. Hoyer; and my friend from
California (Mr. Royce), our chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, NATO has been the most effective alliance of the 20th
and 21st centuries. It stood as a bulwark against communist aggression
during the Cold War. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, it has played
a critical role in building an integrated Europe that is whole, free,
and at peace.
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At the heart of the alliance is the value enshrined in article 5: An
attack on any ally is an attack on all allies. That commitment has been
so strong across the decades, that the alliance never once invoked
article 5 during the long standoff between East and West during the
Cold War.
In fact, article 5 has only been invoked one time in NATO's history,
when the ruins of the World Trade Center were smouldering in New York
City as the world rallied around the United States. After the attacks
of September 11, 2001, NATO allies did what we always knew they would:
they said the attack on us was an attack on all of them as well. Since
then, for nearly 16 years, American troops have fought and shed blood
and died alongside men and women serving in the uniforms of our NATO
allies.
Mr. Speaker, this isn't a commitment we as Americans can take
lightly. While I am glad President Trump finally affirmed the
commitment of the United States to article 5, I think it is important
for Congress to do it as well.
The administration's hot-and-cold approach to the alliance caused a
lot of unneeded heartburn for our allies and caused even the best of
friends to question our commitment.
NATO is not a thing that can just be thrown in with everything else.
It is very important to us, and we should allow our allies to meet
their commitments laid out at the NATO summit in Wales. It is very
important that we do that.
Right now, especially, we need to be clear on our commitment to NATO.
The danger that Russia poses to the alliance, to Western democracy and
an integrated, unified Europe, is the greatest test in a generation. If
there are cracks in the surface, you can bet that Vladimir Putin will
do all he can to exploit them. Fracturing Western unity is his top
goal, and the United States needs to be strong in our commitment to
NATO.
Today, the House is saying we will not waver. We are sending a
message to our allies and partners and to Moscow that a wager against
NATO is a losing bet. I would like to see the House take an even
tougher stance against Moscow and immediately pass the Senate's Russia
sanctions bill. This legislation won overwhelmingly bipartisan support
in the other body, and I am confident we could act on it swiftly in the
House.
With this measure today, we are saying with one voice that article 5
is sacred, that NATO is strong, and the resolve of the United States
and our allies won't be weakened by a bully sitting in Moscow.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
on the Middle East and North Africa.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank our esteemed chairman as well
as the ranking member.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Speaker Ryan's measure which
reaffirms America's commitment to NATO, article 5 and the principle of
collective defense.
Like my colleagues, I believe that NATO has been indispensable in
deterring another world war and in protecting our values and ideals. It
is our commitment to each other and to those ideals that have made our
alliance so strong, so effective. It is that commitment to each other
that has enhanced the territorial security and stability of each one of
us.
Let us not forget that it was following the terrorist attacks of 9/11
that NATO invoked article 5 for the only time in its history, coming to
the defense of us, the United States. This was a signal of unity, of
strength, and that is what makes article 5 so special.
I also appreciate the pledges of our alliance members to share the
burden of the cost of our mutual defense by aiming to spend at least 2
percent of their GDP on defense by the year 2024. That is so important,
Mr. Speaker, because NATO's role over the years has evolved. We are no
longer facing just the threat of communist aggression; we are facing a
multitude of threats against our mutual national security interests
around the globe, and we need to be prepared for whatever comes our
way.
I am pleased to reiterate my support for Speaker Ryan's resolution. I
thank the chairman and the ranking member for their commitment to NATO
and to the principle of collective defense. It is ever so important in
these dangerous times.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, recently, I was in Brussels, and we met with
NATO officials on a codel led by the Democratic leader, Ms. Pelosi.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi).
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I
thank him for his extraordinary leadership on the committee, as well as
the bipartisan nature of this legislation that Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel
are bringing to the floor. I associate myself with the remarks of the
distinguished former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen.
Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan resolution reassures our friends, it
rebuffs our foes, and it reminds the world that America's commitment to
NATO's common defense pledge is ironclad.
When President Truman signed the NATO Treaty nearly 70 years ago, he
called the alliance, ``a long step toward permanent peace in the whole
world.''
NATO has guaranteed the security of the American people and our
allies for decades. Now some people don't remember what those decades
were like, fighting the threat of communism. Article 5, the collective
defense provision, is the core of that security guarantee.
Article 5, as the gentlewoman just mentioned, was invoked only once:
when America's allies joined in the fight against al-Qaida after the
September 11 terrorist attacks on our country.
I, like many of my colleagues, have traveled to Afghanistan, Iraq,
and other places and seen that our NATO partners have shed blood in the
name of article 5 in our common fight against terrorism.
Our commitment to article 5 is a commitment to brave men and women
across the world who risk and give their lives for the NATO alliance.
Previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican, have strongly
and unambiguously stood by NATO and article 5.
I was very sad, I will be very honest with you, my colleagues, when
meeting with NATO leaders at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, a
building dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, President Trump
refused to clearly and unequivocally reassure our NATO partners that he
would honor article 5.
We in this Congress of the United States, acting in a bipartisan way,
want to remove all doubt that the U.S. commitment to the principles of
a mutual defense embodied by NATO are ironclad. I keep using that word.
Every day, Putin searches for cracks in our NATO alliance. We must
convey to him that this alliance is ironclad.
And now, just on another related subject, it is about our national
security. While we are glad to be passing this resolution affirming
America's commitment to article 5, the bipartisan bill sanctioning
Russia languishes in the House. While the White House caters to Putin,
Congress must hold Russia accountable for its actions by passing the
Iran-Russia sanctions bill. It passed the Senate 98-2--98-2--strong
bipartisan support for a bill that contained the Iran and Russia
sanctions.
We can't go home for the Fourth of July without passing that
legislation. It is my understanding it was just a blue slip problem
that could be easily resolved. That is how it was characterized when
the President of Ukraine said to us that they really need the Russian
sanctions enforced and strengthened.
Let us have the courage to stand up to those who menace the free
world and stand by our partners in support of a peaceful, democratic,
and free future for all.
What we are doing today is very important. It is not just about a
bill. It is not just about an agreement. It is about values. It is
about security as a value, something we take an oath to protect and
defend. This NATO agreement helps us do that, but we must also do what
flows from it and say to the Russians, who are the point of NATO, you
are going to have sanctions because of your aggression in Eastern
Europe, and at the same time send that message to the Iranians.
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Mr. Speaker, I urge a very strong unanimous vote for this. This is
something so bipartisan, so wonderful. It is a good day. It is a good
bill. It gives us all hope.
I urge our colleagues to vote ``aye'' and call upon the Speaker to
bring the other bill to the floor. I hope our distinguished chair and
ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee will be able to be part
of bringing it to the floor very soon.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Connolly).
Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, the distinguished
ranking member, and I thank my friend Mr. Royce, the chairman of the
committee, for their leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 397, reaffirming the
commitment of the United States to NATO's principle of collective
defense as enumerated in article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
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As the head of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly, and as rapporteur for the Transatlantic Subcommittee, I can
attest to the anxiety within NATO regarding the administration's
commitment to the alliance.
Case in point, one cannot talk about the U.S. commitment to article 5
in 2017 without mentioning President Trump's failure to embrace it in
full view of our NATO allies when he was in Brussels earlier this year.
It has been widely reported that even the President's own national
security team was blindsided by the omission.
I welcome this resolution, but it would have made a stronger
statement to bring it to the floor immediately after the President's
disconcerting speech in Brussels. This resolution maybe is less a
profile in courage as it is a sigh of relief.
Since the House failed the leadership test on this account, let's
redeem ourselves by taking up the Engel-Connolly bill on Russian's
sanctions, and the Iran-Russia sanctions package recently passed in the
Senate by 98-2, and send it to the President's desk for signature.
Any delay only furthers the trend of obsequiousness to the executive
branch and enables this administration's disastrous retreat from global
leadership.
I am proud to support this resolution, I am glad it is on the floor,
and I hope it is an auger of things to come.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Frankel).
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Engel and
Chairman Royce for their leadership.
Like my colleague, who just spoke, over the last 4 years, I have been
privileged to help represent the United States at the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to borrow a line from a very well-known
poet who said, ``No man is an island,'' recognizing that human beings
do not thrive when isolated from others, a concept that is recognized
by all religions.
This is more true than ever as our world becomes increasingly
dangerous. And, more than ever, the United States of America needs
friends to stand strong and stand up for our mutual democratic values.
So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan
resolution, committing the United States to NATO article 5 collective
defense.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the Democratic whip, who is an original cosponsor
of this resolution.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to
thank Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel for their leadership. I also want to
thank Mr. McCarthy, Speaker Ryan, and Leader Pelosi for their strong
support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I went to Brussels over the Memorial Day break. We met
in Brussels with the NATO leaders. The Deputy Secretary General was
there, and we spoke about the confidence that our European allies had,
and needed, for the continuing viability of NATO, the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, and our commitment to the mutual defense of the
members of NATO.
That has been for 70 years the critical--over 70 years, really--the
critical stability that we have seen in the European Plain, and it
needs to continue to be.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor this resolution, which reaffirms
our Nation's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's
article 5 and the common defense among our NATO allies.
For 70 years, as I said, NATO has kept the peace in Europe and around
the world. Now, that does not mean that we have had peace everywhere in
the world, but it does mean that we have not had world conflagration,
as we saw in the last century.
From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the fall of the Iron Curtain, NATO's
unity in the face of common threats has helped prevent a direct Soviet
attack against America and against our allies.
Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has been adapting to meet threats
new and old. Together, NATO members have served on the ground in
Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and enlargement has made the allegiance
even stronger.
Now, with Russia once again putting forward an aggressive posture to
its neighbors and the world--in addition to visiting Bosnia, we also
went to Lithuania and to Estonia, and I visited Denmark, as well--there
is no doubt that the neighbors of Russia feel a pressure that has, over
the last 15 years, not been as present. NATO's common defense
commitment is as vital to global security and America's security as it
has ever been.
We know that Russia interfered with our elections and has used cyber
attacks against our NATO allies to subvert their democratic
institutions as well. Estonia, in particular, has developed, and is
developing, defenses to cyber attacks.
We, the United States, the leader of the free world, must make it
clear, unequivocally so, both to Vladimir Putin and to our NATO allies,
that the United States stands firmly by its commitment to the alliance
and its collective defense.
It has only been once that article 5 has been implicated, and that
was after 9/11, when all of our European allies in NATO said that an
attack on the United States was perceived as an attack on them, and
they pledged their unity and alliance and action. An attack on one is
an attack on all--an attack on democracy, on freedom, on the values
that this country and our NATO allies stand for.
It is in that context, Mr. Speaker, that I urge my colleagues to join
us in giving this resolution--it says here on this text--a strong vote
of passage. More than that, I hope this is a unanimous vote of
passage. This is the oppression of the leader of the free world that we
will not only lead, but we will act.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, we should be clear that Vladimir Putin is
testing us. He attacked our democracy in last year's election, he is
working to create divisions among our allies, and he would love nothing
more than to see NATO fail.
If the United States offers anything less than our full-throated
support for the alliance, and our ironclad commitments to article 5,
Moscow will see that as an invitation to undercut transatlantic unity
and fracture our critical bond with Europe.
I am glad the House is coming together to ensure that it doesn't
happen. I hope we can continue to work in a bipartisan way to shore up
our alliances and push back on Russian aggregation. This is a real
threat. Russia is not our ally.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this measure, and I urge all
Members to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, as a coauthor of this
resolution, I also want to thank the other coauthors, including Steve
Cohen of Tennessee, who has been a leader on NATO issues.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say, for the advancement of our own
security, the promotion of our values, and
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a strong statement of support for our friends and allies, I urge my
colleagues to support passage of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.
Res. 397, a resolution that reaffirms the United States' commitment to
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and its principle of collective
defense.
In the aftermath of World War II, the greatest conflict in human
history, the United States, Canada, and their Western Europe allies
founded the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 in
Washington.
Founded on the principle of collective defense, Article 5 of the
North Atlantic Treaty states that, ``The Parties agree that an armed
attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be
considered an attack against them all.''
In the 68 years since the Treaty's ratification, Article 5 has only
been invoked once, following the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, when NATO members came to the aid of the United States.
NATO sent seven planes with 830 crewmen from 13 countries to protect
American skies until May 2002, marking the first time in American
history that the continental United States was protected by foreign
forces.
NATO allies and partners have stood with the United States in joint
operations in the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere
around the world.
Until this year, every American president since the treaty's signing
in 1949--Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter,
Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama--has
publicly reaffirmed the American commitment to Article 5.
American presidents have affirmed this nation's commitment to come to
the aid of any NATO member that is under attack.
That is the symbolic meaning of the immortal words spoken by
President Kennedy in West Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate in 1963: ``Ich
bin ein Berliner.''
Mr. Speaker, the principle of collective defense is the core of
NATO's founding treaty and the NATO alliance has been the backbone of
American national security and foreign policy for nearly 70 years.
The strength and solidarity of this western alliance kept Western
Europe whole, prosperous, and free and paved the way for the collapse
of the Soviet Union and the liberation of the nations of Eastern and
Central Europe, many of which have now been integrated into NATO.
The Constitution of the United States grants Congress the sole power
to declare war, but Article 5 does not increase the chance of war.
Rather, NATO is a bulwark against the outbreak of war because it
deters aggression by any adversary.
As a result, NATO is the most successful military alliance in world
history, successfully deterring the outbreak of a third world war,
seeing the Cold War to a victorious conclusion, and protecting the
principle of territorial integrity.
This is why I strongly support H. Res. 397, which reaffirms the
commitment of the People's House to Article 5 of the North Atlantic
Treaty.
The resolution also expresses support for the agreement reached at
the 2014 NATO Wales Summit calling upon each NATO member nation to
allocate at least two percent of its gross domestic product to defense
by 2024.
The resolution also condemns any threat to the sovereignty,
territorial integrity, freedom and democracy of any NATO ally and
welcomes the Republic of Montenegro as the 29th member of the NATO
alliance.
I urge all Members to join me in affirming the commitment of the
United States to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for this
important resolution by voting for H. Res. 397.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania). The question
is on the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce)
that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res.
397.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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