Congress on Thursday passed a provision that makes it nearly impossible for a president to unilaterally withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The measure was part of the $886 billion annual National Defense Authorization Act, which passed on 310-118 vote in the House after easily passing on a 87-13 vote in the Senate late Wednesday.
Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) worked on the amendment which would require congressional approval to leave NATO.
Kaine and Rubio originally introduced the bill in 2018. It advanced in committee on a voice vote in 2019, but never advanced to the Senate floor.
In addition to Kaine and Rubio, the bill was cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
The measure requires that a president notify the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee no later than 180 days before deliberating whether to “suspend, terminate, denounce, or withdraw” from NATO.
The amendment would not allow the president to withdraw from NATO without an act of Congress or the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate. If a president attempts to leave NATO without Senate approval or an Act of Congress, the amendment prohibits any funding from being used to do so.
“NATO has held strong in response to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine and rising challenges around the world,” Kaine said in a statement. It “reaffirms U.S. support for this crucial alliance that is foundational for our national security. It also sends a strong message to authoritarians around the world that the free world remains united.”
“The Senate should maintain oversight on whether or not our nation withdraws from NATO. We must ensure we are protecting our national interests and protecting the security of our democratic allies,” Rubio said.
The NATO alliance has taken on renewed importance after Russian President Vladimir Putin unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Biden has promised America’s continued commitment to the alliance while Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the GOP nomination for president, has criticized the alliance.
Though he hasn’t promised to withdraw the US from NATO, there are concerns that he might try to do just that if he wins another term in the White House.
