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Submitted by Renee Parsons<\/p>\n
Department of Energy nuclear programs was adopted on July 20th and now needs to be reconciled with the House version.<\/p>\n
Some of the more significant amendments included:<\/span><\/p>\n *\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Senator Rand Paul (SC) introduced an amendment to the 2024 NDAA (S 2226) that was a \u201csense of the Senate\u201d in clarifying that \u201c<\/span>Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty does not supersede the constitutional requirement that Congress declare war before the United States engages in war<\/i>.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Article 5 is a key pillar of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty is based on the principle of collective defense. It means that an attack on one member of NATO is deemed to be an attack on all.<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span>The Senate vote was 83 \u2013 16 against<\/span><\/a> the amendment with all Democrats<\/b> voting No and twenty eight Republicans<\/b> joining the Democrats to vote in favor of NATO and against the Constitution.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Those twenty eight Republican Senators are Sens. Blackburn *(Tenn.), Britt (Ala), Boozman (La.)\u00a0 <\/span>Budd (NC), Graham (SC), Grassley (Iowa), Hoeven (ND), Hyde Smith (Miss.), Ricketts (Neb.), Risch (Idaho), Romney (Utah,)* Round (SD), Scott (SC), Scott (Fl.),* Capito (W.Va.), Collins (Me.), Cornyn (Texas), Cassidy (La.)\u00a0 <\/span>Crapo (Idaho), Ernst (Iowa), McConnell (Ky,) Fischer (Neb.),* Moran (Kansas), Young (Ind.)*, Wicker (Miss.)*, Tillis (NC), Thune (SD), and Sullivan (Alaska) \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The * Senators are seeking re election in 2024.\u00a0 <\/span>Two days after Sen. Paul offered the amendment, his Kentucky office was firebombed<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n * \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) introduced an amendment to require an act of the Senate to suspend, terminate or withdraw from NATO which was adopted 65 \u2013 28<\/span><\/a> with seven Not Voting.\u00a0 <\/span>The 65 Aye votes included eighteen Republicans while the 28 Nay votes were all Republican with seven Not Voting. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It is important to note that NATO has had a foothold at the Norfolk Naval Station<\/span><\/a> since July 2019 which is more recently renamed the NATO Allied Command Transformation<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n