Lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a motion supporting NATO, as President Trump
Donald TrumpHogan on Republicans who won't accept election result: 'They are out of runway' Biden rips Trump's refusal to concede after Electoral College vote Top GOP senators acknowledge Biden as president-elect after Electoral College vote MORE continues to criticize the alliance ahead of his summit in Europe.
The nonbinding motion, which came as the Senate voted to reconcile its version of the annual defense policy bill with that of the House, expresses the Senate’s support for NATO and calls on negotiators to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to it.
The 97-2 vote in the Senate comes as Trump heads to Brussels. He will also travel to the United Kingdom and meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki during his trip.
GOP Sens. Rand Paul
Randal (Rand) Howard PaulSenate GOP leaders seek to put an end to election disputes This week: Congress braces for chaotic finish Trump allies in Congress to challenge election results: report MORE (Ky.) and Mike Lee
Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeSenate GOP leaders seek to put an end to election disputes Lawmakers call for including creation of Latino, women's history museums in year-end spending deal Palin campaigns in Georgia for Loeffler, Perdue MORE (Utah) voted against the measure.
Democratic Sen. Jack Reed
Jack ReedBiden selects Susan Rice to lead Domestic Policy Council, McDonough for Veterans Affairs Overnight Defense: Biden defends picking retired general for Pentagon head | House passes weeklong stopgap spending bill | Senate rejects effort to block Trump's UAE arms sale Defense pick faces big hurdle MORE (R.I.) proposed the measure, calling the U.S. support for NATO "ironclad."
Trump has long been critical of NATO members for failing to meet their defense spending commitments, and has ramped up the criticism in the days ahead of the summit.
The president suggested in a tweet on his way to Brussels that other NATO members should reimburse the U.S. for what he has called the nation’s “unfair” contributions to the alliance.
NATO members agreed in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic product by 2024. But Trump has incorrectly suggested that this spending is meant to be on NATO as a whole, not on the countries’ individual defense.
The attacks also come as Trump has frustrated key allies like the European Union, Canada and Mexico with steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
