“Their entry will make NATO stronger and America safer,” McConnell said. “If any senator is looking for a valid excuse to vote no, I wish them the best of luck,” he continued. “This is a national security slam dunk that deserves unanimous bipartisan support.” Efforts by the two European countries to join the military alliance are expected to have broad, bipartisan support in the Senate. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Monday he would vote against their entry, arguing in an op-ed that the United States should focus on the more pressing threat from China instead of expanding its alliance with European countries. A token resolution supporting Finland and Sweden joining NATO was opposed by just 18 House Republicans in a vote last month. The two Nordic nations announced their desire to join NATO in May in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as domestic sentiment shifted sharply in favor of joining the alliance. All 30 member states of the alliance must now approve the two countries’ bids for the effort to be successful. Twenty-two countries have already ratified their accession, while the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United States have yet to formally sign. Paul Pelosi pleads not guilty to misdemeanor DUI charges Pelosi’s flight to Taiwan most watched in Flightradar24 history The only country to speak out against the additions was Turkey, which has since backed their rise after negotiating security guarantees. McConnell on Wednesday reiterated his support for Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO mandates, noting that Finland is already meeting the alliance’s goal of countries spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, while Sweden has made “significant” investments in modernization of her army. “There is no doubt that accepting these strong democracies with modern economies and capable interoperable militaries will only strengthen the most successful military alliance in human history,” McConnell said during his speech.
