[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 20, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3504-S3505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  NATO

  Mr. President, on yet another matter, yesterday, a day after the 
House overwhelmingly passed a resolution welcoming Finland and Sweden's 
application to join NATO, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 
discharged the treaty protocols required to ratify their accession, 
without objection. I am grateful to Ranking Member Risch, Chairman 
Menendez, and our colleagues on the committee for taking this swift, 
bipartisan action. The Senate is now one step closer to fulfilling its 
role in a historic process that will further strengthen the most 
successful military alliance the world has ever seen.
  Bringing these strong, modern countries into NATO will not just 
strengthen the alliance; it will make America more secure. I hope the 
Democratic leader will waste no time--none--in bringing these protocols 
before the full Senate.
  I have been a strong advocate for American global leadership and our 
transatlantic partnerships throughout my career. They have made 
possible the unprecedented era of peace and prosperity Americans have 
experienced in my lifetime.
  NATO is at its best when allies share the burden of our collective 
security, when we all have skin in the game. NATO allies recognized in 
2014, after prodding by American Presidents from both parties, that 
they needed to invest more in capabilities to keep pace with growing 
threats.
  During the previous administration, current member states made 
progress toward the 2-percent pledge. Finland, for its part, already 
spends 2 percent of its GDP on defense, and Sweden has the same target 
in its sights. For years, both countries have participated actively in 
NATO exercises. They have cultivated professional fighting forces, 
invested in cutting-edge interoperable technologies, and built robust 
military-industrial bases with strong connections to our own.
  I know from my own conversation with the leaders of Finland and 
Sweden that they are sober about the threats we face, committed to 
building their own defense capabilities, and serious about their 
responsibilities to contribute to our collective security. Together, 
they have set an example that many current treaty allies would do well 
to follow.

[[Page S3505]]

  With Finland and Sweden at the table, I look forward to important 
deliberations about the capabilities we need as an alliance and the 
steps we must urgently take to defend ourselves against growing threats 
from Russia, China, and other adversaries.
  Mr. President, I know from my visits with our Swedish and Finnish 
friends that they hope for rapid accession to NATO. They are ready to 
get to work alongside us as allies. With war raging on the European 
continent, I share their sense of urgency, and I urge the Democratic 
leader to call up the necessary Senate votes without further delay.
  But that can't be the Senate's last word on how America and our 
allies face down a dangerous world. We also need to take urgent action 
on the National Defense Authorization Act. Russia is laying siege to a 
sovereign neighbor. China is flexing a rapidly modernizing military. 
Reckless pariah states like Iran and North Korea are doubling down on 
developing dangerous weapons. It is past time--past time--to take 
America's own defense requirements more seriously.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.