Bill to make it harder for U.S. to leave NATO returns to the Senate

In the framework of a new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting, Joe Biden and 30 other world leaders reunited in Lithuania. The president and his peers have the possible accession of Ukraine and Sweden to the alliance as a central issue. In this context, the Senate reintroduced a bipartisan bill to make it more difficult for the United States to exit the treaty.

The legislation introduced by Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) would make it impossible for the president to leave NATO without the approval of the Senate or an act of Congress.

"NATO serves as an essential military alliance that protects shared national interests and enhances America's international presence. Any decision to leave the alliance should be rigorously debated and considered by the U.S. Congress with the input of the American people," the Republican said.

The bill is not new and is authored by the two senators above, long-time supporters of the alliance, and colleagues in the Foreign Relations Committee of the Upper House.

" Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine and Finland’s accession and Sweden’s pending accession into NATO all underscore the same thing: NATO is stronger than ever. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to NATO and ensure any U.S. president can’t unilaterally decide to leave the alliance without congressional approval", Kaine said.

If the president attempts to abandon the alliance without Senate approval or an act of Congress, the legislation would cut off funding to do so and allow congressional legal counsel to challenge any attempt by the administration in court.

The bill is co-sponsored 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).