H.R. 2010 — NATO Edge Act

This section states congressional findings on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including (1) its role as a pillar of international peace and stability, a critical component of U.S. security, and a deterrent against adversaries; (2) affirmations from H. Res. 397 (adopted June 27, 2017) that NATO is a successful alliance, the foundation of U.S. foreign policy in Europe, with U.S. commitment to Article 5 collective defense, condemnation of threats to NATO allies, and support for Ukraine's territorial integrity against Russian aggression; (3) the expectation that NATO members meet the 2014 Wales Summit goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense by 2024; and (4) benefits of multinational training exercises and joint programs for interoperability and readiness against threats, particularly from Russia.

This section modifies restrictions in Section 1250A of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 on suspending, terminating, denouncing, or withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty (i.e., NATO, a 31-member mutual defense alliance established in 1949) as follows: (1) in subsection (a), adds a condition prohibiting such actions unless all NATO members not allocating at least 2% of GDP to defense spending commit, per NATO standards, to reach 2% within five years of the relevant fiscal year; (2) revises subsection (b) to apply the same 2% commitment condition to prohibitions on using appropriated funds to support such actions and retitles it "Prohibition on the use of funds to withdraw from NATO"; (3) inserts new subsections (c) authorizing the Senate Legal Counsel or House General Counsel to initiate or intervene in federal court proceedings opposing unauthorized NATO withdrawal actions, (d) requiring expedited consideration of related resolutions per specified procedures, and (e) requiring such legal counsel to report promptly to the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees on any proceedings; and (4) redesignates former subsections (c) through (f) as subsections (f) through (i). (Thus, U.S. withdrawal from NATO now requires Senate supermajority consent or an act of Congress plus satisfaction of the new NATO burden-sharing condition.)

This section terminates the amendments made by section 3 on September 30, 2033, restoring 22 U.S.C. 1928f—which limits presidential authority to suspend, terminate, denounce, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty without two-thirds Senate consent or an Act of Congress—to its pre-amendment form as in effect the day after enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.