Political Quotes

“I rise to oppose the Paul amendment to the resolution of advice and consent to ratification for the extension of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden to NATO. Like virtually all of my colleagues, I support the admission of Sweden and Finland into NATO. Their commitment to democracy, their military capabilities, and their resolve in the face of Russian aggression is welcome. With Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, NATO has been united in providing support for the Ukrainians to defend themselves. NATO is also united in its adherence to the revisions of the NATO treaty. The world is watching to see if there are any cracks in that commitment, particularly with respect to its provisions for mutual defense. We must not in any way appear to be going wobbly on article 5. I fear that the Paul amendment would do just that. Further, Senator Paul's amendment is unnecessary. The NATO treaty specifically states this: This Treaty shall be ratified and its provisions carried out by the Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional processes. That is in the NATO treaty itself. So adding the language of the Paul amendment would only add confusion and potentially communicate to the world that this body seeks something in addition to the adherence to the constitutional process that the treaty already requires. Now, it is well and good for Congress to consider war powers and our role in military conflicts.…”