[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9968-9971]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
 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.
  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.

[[Page 9969]]

  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.
  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

[[Page 9970]]

principle of collective defense as enumerated in article 5 of the North 
Atlantic Treaty.

                              {time}  1515

  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 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.

[[Page 9971]]

  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.

                          ____________________