Senators reintroduce bill to prevent US president from leaving NATO 

A bipartisan pair of senators reintroduced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit any U.S. president from withdrawing from NATO without Senate approval or an act of Congress.  

“NATO serves as an essential military alliance that protects shared national interests and enhances America’s international presence,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in a statement released as NATO leaders, including President Biden, meet in Europe. “Any decision to leave the alliance should be rigorously debated and considered by the U.S. Congress with the input of the American people.”  

Rubio reintroduced the bill alongside Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.); the two serve together on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and are longtime advocates of the alliance.  

The bill has been reintroduced in multiple sessions of Congress, including when concerns rose over former President Trump’s reported threats to withdraw from the alliance.  

The bill’s reintroduction comes on the last day of a NATO summit in Lithuania, where conversations regarding Ukraine joining the group have been a hot topic.  

“[Russian President Vladimir] 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,” Kaine said. “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.”  

If the president tries to leave NATO without Senate approval or an act of Congress, the bill would prohibit funding to do so and allow congressional legal counsel to challenge any administration’s attempt in court. 

The bill has eight Democratic co-sponsors.