The Senate voted 95-1, with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley voting no and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting “present.” The vote comes several weeks after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership. Lawmakers were working to pass the issue before the August recess. Finland and Sweden announced their decision to formally join NATO within days of each other in May, ending their longstanding positions of neutrality in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time they submitted their applications on May 18. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, flanked by Paivi Nevala, Minister Counselor of the Finnish Embassy, ​​left, and Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden’s Ambassador to the U.S., welcomes diplomats from Sweden and Finland shortly before the Senate vote on the ratification of the two nations’ membership in NATO. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, August 3, 2022. J. Scott Applewhite/AP All 30 NATO members must ratify the two countries’ membership. Seven countries remain. During Wednesday’s vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took a swipe at Paul and Hawley in a speech on the floor, saying: “Their entry will make NATO stronger and America safer. excuse to vote no, I wish them the best of luck.” Hawley aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, saying the US could devote more funds and firepower to NATO “or do what we have to do to deter Asia and China. We can’t do both two”. Paul has always worked to keep the US out of foreign conflicts. He offered an amendment that most rejected to ensure that Congress’s role in authorizing military force would not be usurped by the NATO pact’s common defense commitment, known as Article 5. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pictured with an official delegation from Finland and Sweden at his office in Washington, August 3, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., applauded the Senate vote, saying on Twitter that it was “even more urgent given [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s barbaric, immoral and unjustified war in Ukraine”. President Joe Biden thanked several senators, including Schumer and McConnell, for moving the confirmation process along quickly. “This historic vote sends an important message about America’s continued, bipartisan commitment to NATO and to ensuring our Alliance is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” the president said in a statement.