A Vandenberg movement in Congress

Returning from a two-week recess, Congress is once again diving into the brinksmanship politics of the federal budget and healthcare legislation.  With the possible exception of a few vocal members, comparatively little floor time will be spent discussing the recent tumult across Europe and Asia and few in the media will ask what Congress is doing to address national security challenges legislatively.  The gumming up of our legislative process by the polarization of our national politics has unfortunately begun to also atrophy Congress’s historical role as a compliment to the executive branch in international affairs. Overcoming these powerful political forces is challenging but we could begin by absorbing the legacy that one senior senator from the state of Michigan set in motion in the waning days of World War II.

It was the “speech heard around the world,” and it was delivered on the afternoon of Jan. 10, 1945 less than a month before the Yalta conference.  Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (R-Mich.), an isolationist, a decade long opponent of FDR and the most respected Republican voice on foreign policy rose to the Senate floor and boldly declared that “our oceans have ceased to be moats which automatically protect our ramparts.” 

{mosads}Vandenberg’s historic speech was a political watershed for the Republican party at the time and marginalized the threat of a resurgent isolationism, setting the foundation for a common, bipartisan, understanding of American global responsibilities for decades to come.  As political consensus developed, political power was also consolidated in Congress, initiating a half century movement of bipartisan congressional activism that began with Vandenberg and continued with politically diverse senators such as Connelly, Dirksen, Mansfield, Goldwater, Biden, Kennedy, Nunn and Lugar and representatives such as Nichols, Hyde, Lantos, Gray, Fascell, Zablocki and Berman. 

These members and others could put party and parochialism aside and devoted their energies to leading on some of the 20th century’s greatest national security challenges.  They were informed, developed deep networks within world capitals, understood our own bureaucracies and thus were powerful policymakers in the national security arena. These members were instrumental in developing the Marshall Plan, the UN and NATO charters, the buildup and end to the Vietnam war, the arms control regime, the Taiwan Relations Act, The Goldwater-Nichols defense reform bill, the fight against apartheid and others.  Often working in cooperation with their presidents and each other, and sometimes against, these members always operated in a spirit that reflected the national interest and a bipartisan consensus in a liberal, internationalist world order. 

We need another Vandenberg movement that will push Congress forward as a policymaking force in national security.  The post-World War II generation of politicians and the energy they brought to American foreign policy has faded out of politics, yet the need to recognize that “our oceans have ceased to be moats” is as important as ever.  We face new complex challenges with the rise of authoritarian movements around the globe, the impact of technology on society, and a system of alliances and institutions that is being challenged at home and abroad.

While the current Congress has a handful of vocal leaders running the national security committees, it is time for them to be joined by a rising generation of representatives and senators who also understand global challenges and are energizing the foreign policy arena through their individual efforts.

In the Senate, Chris Coons (D-Del.) has established himself as the institutions leading expert on Africa and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) is working on the nexus of global technology innovation and its impact on U.S. national security, Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has emerged as an expert on Russia and middle east policy and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) are emerging as the next generation of Asia hands. 

In the House Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Anne Wagner (R-Mo.) have started an ASEAN caucus that seeks to shore up U.S. relationships in Asia and two rising national security leaders from the state of Texas, Reps. Beto O’Rourke and Will Hurd live streamed a road trip from Texas to D.C. where the Democrat and Republican preached the importance of bipartisan cooperation in national security and other issues. Also, the number of young veterans continues to rise with a third of the incoming freshman class having served in the military, replenishing the institution with new perspective just as earlier generations of internationalist young members did who came into office after the Second World War.

As positive as these trends are, it will take sustained production, deepening expertise and policymaking confidence among the next generation for Congress to more actively work with the executive branch to impact policy and become a font of leadership and ideas.  Members travel abroad, but more should use travel to not only understand policy challenges, but develop deep networks and relationships abroad. Members engage in the legislative process, but more should take the time to understand the intricate cultures of America’s national security bureaucracies and develop their own influence within those bureaucracies. Members work with colleagues, but more should make the effort to learn with their colleagues and carve time from their stacked schedules to develop issue depth that can create common ground on difficult policy questions.

This kind of substantive engagement can only succeed with time spent in Washington, which is a problem.  Constituents demand representation of their local interests and not necessarily leadership on international issues.  Members often feel obligated to spend as much time in their districts as they can and spend their free time dialing for dollars to meet the modern demands of the congressional campaign. 

Given these challenges, the nation can only count on a self-selecting and limited group to take on these leadership responsibilities.  But, this self-selecting group should be larger than it is today and be encouraged and applauded for taking on responsibilities beyond the mandate of their constituents.  It is also essential that the national security policy community engage these members and support their efforts by providing platforms for their ideas and avenues for them to engage. An energized and supported network of principled leaders in the House and Senate who take the time to learn and engage will provide one of the few opportunities to rise above today’s political polarization and energize a Vandenberg movement that will pay dividends for decades to come.

Louis Lauter is Associate Vice President of Congressional and Government Affairs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  He previously served as the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs under Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.