I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 676 
To reiterate the support of the Congress of the United States for the North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 17, 2019 
Mr. PANETTA (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 fol-
lowing 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NATO Support Act’’. 
SEC. 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, 
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1949, between the United States of America and the 
other founding members of the North Atlantic Trea-
ty Organization, has served as a pillar of inter-
national peace and stability, a critical component of 
United States security, and a deterrent against ad-
versaries 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 out-
break of another world war, protecting the ter-
ritorial 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 Eu-
rope that is whole, free, and at peace; 
(C) the United States is solemnly com-
mitted to the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
tion’s principle of collective defense as enumer-
ated 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 
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at least 2 percent of its nation’s gross do-
mestic product on defense by 2024; 
(ii) condemns any threat to the sov-
ereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and 
democracy of any NATO ally; and 
(iii) welcomes the Republic of Monte-
negro as the 29th member of the NATO 
Alliance. 
SEC. 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 control-
ling legal precedent with respect to the withdrawal 
of the United States from a treaty. 
SEC. 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; 
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(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. 
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF FUNDS TO WITH-
DRAW 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. 
Æ 
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