Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, it is painfully clear that existing Federal policies do not provide a comprehensive approach to address the national epidemic of gun violence. In fact, in 2019, for the third consecutive year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported gun violence as a leading cause of premature death in the United States resulting in the loss of 39,707 American lives--that is 109 American lives lost each day. And unfortunately, 2020 was no different. Even as the Country was enduring an unprecedented global pandemic, communities across the country were left dealing with the ever-present threat of gun violence.

There is single legislative action that can eradicate the complex and deeply rooted issues of gun violence. However, we must undertake the correct approach by focusing on many issues, including improvements to our mental health system, better security protocols, and commonsense rules about gun use and safety, such that keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals.

Virginians know all too well the heartbreaking consequences of gun violence. We have seen it in the tragedies of Virginia Tech and Virginia Beach and the countless drive-by shootings, domestic violence, and suicides by firearms. Yet the Commonwealth has chosen to acknowledge and address its unfortunate history of gun violence, and this past year adopted a series of gun violence prevention measures. These measures include legislation to enact an Extreme Risk Protective Order; an expansion of background checks on all gun sales; a mandate to report lost and stolen firearms; safeguards that prevent children from accessing firearms; and a reinstatement of Virginia's successful one- handgun-a-month policy. The Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2021 builds on the newly adopted Virginia framework by creating a comprehensive package of policies at the federal level to reduce gun violence across the nation.

With public support for commonsense rules at the highest it has ever been, we cannot wait until the next senseless tragedy before enacting commonsense gun policies. It is important to remember that gun violence is preventable and requires we take an evidence-based approach to create a more peaceful society, free of gun violence. I believe that the ``Virginia Plan'' will pave the way to advance meaningful gun reform and ultimately save lives.

Now is the time to act.

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, throughout his time in office, President Donald Trump repeatedly disparaged our NATO allies and reportedly threatened withdrawal from the NATO alliance, the bedrock of European and American security for over seventy years. Although our current President has recommitted the United States to NATO and our transatlantic partnerships, it is still necessary for the Senate to consider legislation that prevents any President from withdrawing the United States from this critical defense treaty. This legislation would not only help address present national security challenges by reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Europe, it would also provide clarity to important constitutional questions regarding the role of Congress in terminating U.S. participation in treaties and alliances. Particularly with a treaty obligation that is as central to U.S. security as NATO, no President should be allowed to unilaterally withdraw without the advice and consent of the Senate.

Over the past several years, NATO allies, many of whom we have fought alongside since World War II and earlier in some cases, have questioned our allegiance for the first time in the history of NATO. In response to the only invocation of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty following the 9/ 11 attacks, more than 1,000 servicemembers from these allied nations gave their lives fighting alongside the United States. While the United States must continue to press every country to increase defense spending to meet the agreed-upon goal of 2 percent of GDP by 2024, and ensure that our European allies contribute to their own defense, U.S. withdrawal from NATO should not be considered without Congressional input. For this reason, we must use our constitutional powers of advice and consent and of the purse to block any unilateral executive withdrawal, and preemptively authorize legal proceedings to challenge any decision to terminate U.S. membership.

The legislation I am introducing today with Senators Rubio, Collins, Blumenthal, Coons, Duckworth, Durbin, Feinstein, Graham, King, Klobuchar, Merkley, Moran, Shaheen, and Warner would provide the necessary tools to prevent a President from unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the NATO treaty without the consent of Congress. The Senate has repeatedly indicated its support for NATO through previous legislation, including the original vote of 82-13 in 1949 to grant the Senate's consent to join NATO, and the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which called for the United States to ``remain ironclad in its commitment to uphold its obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty.''

I am proud to have bipartisan support for this bill to ensure that the safety of the American people is prioritized through our continued membership in NATO, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that this legislation is swiftly considered by the Senate.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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