Reaffirming the United States full and unwavering commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in its 75th anniversary year and its goals of achieving collective security through transatlantic partnerships.

Bill: 118-hres-1063
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9]
Introduced: 2024-03-06
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Alliances

Collective security

Commemorative events and holidays

Europe

Finland

Sweden

Ukraine
Latest action: action_date: 2024-05-16
text: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-03-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution reaffirms a full and unwavering commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The resolution also reaffirms NATO's open door policy, welcomes Finland and Sweden as full NATO members, and reaffirms the necessity for NATO allies to dedicate at least 2% of their gross domestic product to national defense.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1063 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2024 Mr. Keating (for himself, Mr. Turner , Mr. Panetta , Mr. Wilson of South Carolina , Mr. Connolly , Mr. Kean of New Jersey , Mr. McCaul , Mr. Meeks , Mr. Costa , Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania , Ms. Kamlager-Dove , Mr. Gottheimer , Mr. Swalwell , Mr. Lieu , Mr. Gallego , Ms. Titus , Mr. Goldman of New York , Mr. Schneider , Mrs. Radewagen , Ms. Norton , Mr. Schiff , Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania , Mr. Sherman , Ms. Wild , Mr. Allred , Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick , Mr. Norcross , Mr. Guthrie , Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida , Mr. Bera , Mr. Lawler , Mr. Jackson of Illinois , Mr. Kim of New Jersey , Mr. Amo , Mr. Stanton , Ms. Garcia of Texas , Mr. Magaziner , Mr. Lynch , Mr. McCormick , Mr. Case , Mr. McGovern , and Mrs. Peltola ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Reaffirming the United States full and unwavering commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in its 75th anniversary year and its goals of achieving collective security through transatlantic partnerships.

Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded on April 4, 1949, to counter Soviet expansion, prevent further world wars from emerging in Europe, and develop a commitment to transatlantic security, and is built on the democratic principles of freedom, security, and national sovereignty; Whereas 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the NATO founding treaty known as the Washington Treaty and our mutual commitments with European allies; Whereas Article 5 of the Washington Treaty underpins the principle of collective defense and has served as a guiding value and commitment of United States foreign policy for 75 years; Whereas the United States will host the 75th anniversary NATO summit in July 2024 which will serve as a milestone summit and reaffirm the long-lasting legacy of the NATO alliance; Whereas, in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023, NATO Heads of State and Government reaffirmed the Alliance’s shared values of individual liberty, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law; Whereas United States Article 5 commitments regarding collective defense augment United States deterrence capabilities against adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran who seek to spread their malign influence; Whereas NATO’s open door policy is a vital tenet of the alliance; Whereas NATO has facilitated the expansion of vital intelligence sharing, increased interoperability of forces, expanded cyber defense capabilities, and served as a forum to combat shared challenges; Whereas transatlantic cooperation through NATO serves as a bulwark against the proliferation of malign influence from adversaries; Whereas authoritarian regimes such as the Russian Federation, China, North Korea, and Iran have increased collaboration in political, economic, and security sectors, sought to undermine democratic principles, and sow distrust in democratic institutions; Whereas Article 5 of the Washington Treaty was invoked for the only time following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States; Whereas NATO allies provided troops, intelligence, resources, and support to United States forces under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty following the September 11 attacks, and NATO allies incurred significant casualties under NATO-led operations in Afghanistan; Whereas NATO has been steadfast in its support for Ukraine in light of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with member countries providing ammunition, weapons, and significant nonsecurity assistance in support of Ukraine’s war effort; Whereas, following Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden made the sovereign decision to accede to the NATO alliance; Whereas NATO remains committed to addressing the systemic challenges posed by China to Euro-Atlantic interests, security, and values as well as the principle of collective defense, which is critical for demonstrating the alliance’s reliability with regards to deterring China and standing up for the rules-based international order; Whereas the vast majority of NATO allies have made significant contributions to Ukraine’s war effort, greatly increasing Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and imposing direct costs on Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine; and Whereas the United States commitment to the NATO alliance is ironclad: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) reaffirms its full and unwavering commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance; (2) recognizes the vitality of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the sacred commitment of the United States to the alliance and to defending United States allies under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization founding treaty; (3) reaffirms the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s open door policy and commitment to Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, and reaffirms that every state has the right to choose its own security arrangements, including Ukraine; (4) remembers the thousands of North Atlantic Treaty Organization coalition soldiers who sacrificed their lives in support of the United States following the invocation of Article 5 after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States; (5) welcomes and supports Finland and Sweden as full members of and strong security providers in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and (6) reaffirms the necessity for North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to dedicate at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product to their national defense or establish plans by the Washington Summit to meet their 2 percent obligations.