[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 130 (Wednesday, August 3, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3899-S3900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Vote on Amendment No. 5191
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the Paul
amendment.
Mr. RISCH. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy) and
the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) are necessarily absent.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Texas (Mr. Cornyn).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn)
would have voted ``no.''
The result was announced--yeas 10, nays 87, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 281 Ex.]
YEAS--10
Braun
Cruz
Daines
Hawley
Johnson
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Marshall
Paul
NAYS--87
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Duckworth
Durbin
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hassan
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Kaine
Kelly
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lujan
Manchin
Markey
McConnell
Menendez
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Romney
Rosen
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Tuberville
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NOT VOTING--3
Cornyn
Leahy
Merkley
The amendment (No. 5191) was rejected.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Smith). Under the previous order, any
committee conditions, declarations, or reservations, as applicable, are
agreed to.
Vote on Resolution of Ratification
(No. 117-3)
The question occurs on the adoption of resolution of ratification, as
amended.
The majority leader.
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, since its creation over 70 years ago,
no alliance in human history has done more to advance the cause of
freedom and democracy than NATO.
Today, at a moment when democracy in Europe is under attack, as
belligerent autocrats, like Putin, clamor for European dominance, the
U.S. Senate is voting in overwhelming bipartisan fashion to approve
Finland's and Sweden's accession to the NATO alliance. This is
important substantively and as a signal to Russia that they cannot
intimidate America or Europe.
(Applause.)
Thank you, Roger.
Putin has tried to use his war in Ukraine to divide the West.
Instead, today's vote shows our alliance is stronger than ever.
I applaud the leaders of Sweden and Finland, who made a bold choice
to depart from their long-held position with respect to NATO. I am
confident they will be excellent partners in this alliance.
I thank Leader McConnell. Back in May, we met with the Finnish
President and the Swedish Prime Minister and promised to approve their
accession as quickly as possible. Today, we are keeping that promise.
I also want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for
springing into action on this matter, especially Senator Menendez, the
chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who did such a good
job with his ranking member, Senator Risch, as well as Senators Shaheen
and Tillis, who have been our leaders in reaching out to NATO, for
their leadership roles. Senators Menendez and Risch ensured their
committee acted quickly.
On a broader note, in the past few months, we have seen an amazing
string of bipartisan achievements in this Chamber--achievements rarely
seen in such fast succession. We passed the first gun safety bill in 30
years, approved the largest investment in U.S. science and technology
in generations, gave veterans the largest expansion of benefits in
decades, and today, we are strengthening the NATO alliance. All of
this, every bit of this, was done on a bipartisan basis. I have always
said this Senate Democratic majority would be willing to work with the
other side whenever possible, and these past months have been some of
those moments.
Finally, to the Swedish and Finnish diplomats who have worked for
months to reach this moment, rest assured, you have many friends in
this Chamber. We promise to get this done, and we will always, always
stand by your side as allies defending each other.
I thank my colleagues for their work.
Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
[[Page S3900]]
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy) and
the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) are necessarily absent.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Texas (Mr. Cornyn).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn)
would have voted ``yea.''
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 95, nays 1, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 282 Ex.]
YEAS--95
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Braun
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hassan
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Johnson
Kaine
Kelly
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Lee
Lujan
Lummis
Manchin
Markey
Marshall
McConnell
Menendez
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Romney
Rosen
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Tuberville
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--1
Hawley
PRESENT--1
Paul
NOT VOTING--3
Cornyn
Leahy
Merkley
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ossoff). On this vote, the yeas are 95,
the nays are 1, and one Senator responded present.
Two-thirds of the Senators present, a quorum being present, having
voted in the affirmative, the resolution of ratification is agreed to.
The resolution of ratification agreed to is as follows:
Resolved, (two-thirds of the Senators present concurring
therein).
SECTION 1. SENATE ADVICE AND CONSENT SUBJECT TO DECLARATIONS
AND CONDITIONS.
The Senate advises and consents to the ratification of the
Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the
Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of
Sweden, which were signed on July 5, 2022, by the United
States of America and other parties to the North Atlantic
Treaty of 1949 (Treaty Doc. 117-3), subject to the
declarations of section 2 and the condition of section 3.
SEC. 2. DECLARATIONS.
The advice and consent of the Senate under section 1 is
subject to the following declarations:
(1) Reaffirmation That United States Membership in NATO
Remains a Vital National Security Interest of the United
States.--The Senate declares that--
(A) for more than 70 years the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) has served as the preeminent organization
to defend the countries in the North Atlantic area against
all external threats;
(B) through common action, the established democracies of
North America and Europe that were joined in NATO persevered
and prevailed in the task of ensuring the survival of
democratic government in Europe and North America throughout
the Cold War;
(C) NATO enhances the security of the United States by
embedding European states in a process of cooperative
security planning and by ensuring an ongoing and direct
leadership role for the United States in European security
affairs;
(D) the responsibility and financial burden of defending
the democracies of Europe and North America can be more
equitably shared through an alliance in which specific
obligations and force goals are met by its members;
(E) the security and prosperity of the United States is
enhanced by NATO's collective defense against aggression that
may threaten the security of NATO members; and
(F) United States membership in NATO remains a vital
national security interest of the United States.
(2) Strategic Rationale for NATO Enlargement.--The Senate
declares that--
(A) the United States and its NATO allies face continued
threats to their stability and territorial integrity;
(B) an attack against Finland or Sweden, or the
destabilization of either arising from external subversion,
would threaten the stability of Europe and jeopardize United
States national security interests;
(C) Finland and Sweden, having established democratic
governments and having demonstrated a willingness to meet the
requirements of membership, including those necessary to
contribute to the defense of all NATO members, are in a
position to further the principles of the North Atlantic
Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North
Atlantic area; and
(D) extending NATO membership to Finland and Sweden will
strengthen NATO, enhance stability in Europe, and advance the
interests of the United States and its NATO allies.
(3) Support for NATO's Open Door Policy.--The policy of the
United States is to support NATO's Open Door Policy that
allows any European country to express its desire to join
NATO and demonstrate its ability to meet the obligations of
NATO membership.
(4) Future Consideration of Candidates for Membership in
NATO.--
(A) Senate Finding.--The Senate finds that the United
States will not support the accession to the North Atlantic
Treaty of, or the invitation to begin accession talks with,
any European state ( other than Finland and Sweden), unless--
(i) the President consults with the Senate consistent with
Article II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution of the
United States (relating to the advice and consent of the
Senate to the making of treaties); and
(ii) the prospective NATO member can fulfill all of the
obligations and responsibilities of membership, and the
inclusion of such state in NATO would serve the overall
political and strategic interests of NATO and the United
States.
(B) Requirement for Consensus and Ratification.--The Senate
declares that no action or agreement other than a consensus
decision by the full membership of NATO, approved by the
national procedures of each NATO member, including, in the
case of the United States, the requirements of Article II,
section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States
(relating to the advice and consent of the Senate to the
making of treaties), will constitute a commitment to
collective defense and consultations pursuant to Articles 4
and 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
(5) Influence of Non-NATO Members on NATO Decisions.--The
Senate declares that any country that is not a member of NATO
shall have no impact on decisions related to NATO
enlargement.
(6) Support for 2014 Wales Summit Defense Spending
Benchmark.--The Senate declares that all NATO members should
spend a minimum of 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) on defense and 20 percent of their defense budgets on
major equipment, including research and development, by 2024.
as outlined in the 2014 Wales Summit Declaration.
SEC. 3. CONDITION.
The advice and consent of the Senate under section 1 is
subject to the following conditions
(1) Presidential Certification.--Prior to the deposit of
the instrument of ratification, the President shall certify
to the Senate as follows:
(A) The inclusion of Finland and Sweden in NATO will not
have the effect of increasing the overall percentage share of
the United States in the common budgets of NATO.
(B) The inclusion of Finland and Sweden in NATO does not
detract from the ability of the United States to meet or to
fund its military requirements outside the North Atlantic
area.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this resolution:
(1) NATO Members.--The term ``NATO members'' means all
countries that are parties to the North Atlantic Treaty.
(2) Non-NATO Members.--The term ``non-NATO members'' means
all countries that are not parties to the North Atlantic
Treaty.
(3) North Atlantic Area.--The term ``North Atlantic Area''
means the area covered by Article 6 of the North Atlantic
Treaty, as applied by the North Atlantic Council.
(4) North Atlantic Treaty.--The term ``North Atlantic
Treaty'' means the North Atlantic Treaty, signed at
Washington April 4, 1949 (63 Stat. 2241; TIAS 1964). as
amended.
(5) United States Instrument of Ratification.--The term
``United States instrument of ratification'' means the
instrument of ratification of the United States of the
Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the
Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of
Sweden.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.
____________________