{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2024/7/lee-introduces-bills-to-demand-burden-sharing-and-oppose-ukraine-membership-ahead-of-nato-summit", "Lee Introduces Bills to Demand Burden Sharing and Oppose Ukraine Membership Ahead of NATO Summit", "2024-07-09", "2024", "2024-07", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", "mikelee", "https://www.lee.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 As Washington plays host to this year's NATO Summit, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is set to introduce a series of bills to address the strategic misdirection of NATO and the decades-long imbalance in defense spending. The summit marks NATO's 75th anniversary, a milestone that calls for reflection and a reassessment of the alliance's operational readiness and financial posture.\n\n\"European capitals have grown accustomed to U.S.-subsidized security, allowing them to dictate policy without bearing the risks or costs,\" said Senator Lee. \"This arrangement has been perpetuated out of deference to the so-called 'rules-based international order.' It's time for Congress to remind the alliance\u2014and the Biden administration\u2014that it holds the power to make treaties, extend NATO membership, and conduct oversight of our commitments abroad.\"\n\nSenator Lee's legislative agenda during the summit includes the following:\n\nResolution Opposing Security Guarantees for Ukraine\n\nThis resolution condemns the Biden administration's recent 10-year bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. It asserts that the agreement has no legal force without Senate ratification and rejects it as a \"bridge\" to Ukraine's NATO membership. Introduced on June 20, Senator Lee will call for unanimous consent and invites additional cosponsors.\n\nFor resolution text, click HERE\n\nProhibition on Ukraine NATO Membership\n\nThis bill amends the Mutual Security Act of 1954 to stipulate that initiating an accession process for Ukraine will be grounds for immediate U.S. withdrawal from NATO. Senator Lee emphasizes the necessity of this bill to prevent further escalation and undue U.S. commitments.\n\nFor bill text, click HERE\n\nAllied Burden Sharing Report Act\n\nDespite being required by the 1985 NDAA, DOD has not consistently reported on allied defense contributions since the early 2000s. This is an unacceptable status quo. This act mandates the Department of Defense to prepare an annual report on the defense spending and contributions of all 59 U.S. allies.\n\nThe report will include:\n\nDefense spending as a nominal figure and percentage of GDP\n\nContributions to military operations in line with cooperative defense agreements\n\nLimitations placed on the use of such contributions\n\nFor bill text, click HERE\n\nNATO Burden Sharing Report Act\n\nFocusing solely on current and prospective NATO member countries, this act requires DOD to annually report on:\n\nDefense spending as a nominal figure and percentage of GDP\n\nA description of each member's hard vs. soft power contributions for Ukraine\n\nAnalysis of defense industrial base health and comparative advantages\n\nSize and structure of armed forces\n\nAreas of reliance on allied assets\n\nForeign Military Sales (FMS) deliveries or contracts in the previous year\n\nChanges in defense spending over the previous year\n\nAnticipated future spending\n\nFor bill text, click HERE\n\n\"As NATO gathers on our soil, we have the opportunity to demand equitable burden sharing and make it clear that Ukraine's membership cannot be on the table,\" added Senator Lee. \"These bills are essential to ensuring that the United States is not unduly burdened by an alliance that refuses to pull its weight or come to grips with strategic realities .\"\n\nFor a one-pager, click HERE\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2024/7/lee-introduces-bills-to-demand-burden-sharing-and-oppose-ukraine-membership-ahead-of-nato-summit"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9002150036394596, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}