[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7387 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7387
To reiterate the support of the Congress of the United States for the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 15, 2024
Mr. Panetta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
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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 Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``NATO Support Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that:
(1) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (referred to as
``NATO''), which came into being through the North Atlantic
Treaty, which entered into force on April 4, 1949, between the
United States and the other founding members of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization, has served as a pillar of
international peace and stability, a critical component of
United States security, and a deterrent against adversaries 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 outbreak of another
world war, protecting the territorial integrity of its
members, and concluding the Cold War peacefully;
(B) NATO remains the foundation of United States
foreign policy to promote a Europe that is prosperous,
free, and at peace;
(C) the United States is solemnly committed to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization's principle of
collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the
North Atlantic Treaty; and
(D) the House of Representatives--
(i) condemns any threat to the sovereignty,
territorial integrity, freedom, and democracy
of any NATO ally;
(ii) supports the decision at the NATO
Wales Summit in 2014 that each alliance member
aim to spend at least 2 percent of its nation's
gross domestic product on defense by 2024;
(iii) strongly supports collaboration with
NATO allies to enforce Ukraine's territorial
integrity against unprovoked aggression from
the Russian Federation;
(iv) recognizes the advantages that
multinational training exercises and joint
research and education programs with NATO
allies have offered for interoperability and
readiness; and
(v) welcomes the addition of Finland as the
31st member of the NATO Alliance and supports
the swift accession of Sweden as an additional
member.
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 controlling 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;
(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 WITHDRAW 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 and the
other founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
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