SRES 266 United States Senate · 118th Congress

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the relationship between certain obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty and constitutional declarations of war by Congress.

This non-binding Senate resolution states that military action taken under NATO's mutual defense clause (Article 5) does not override Congress's constitutional duty to declare war before U.S. forces engage in hostilities. It clarifies that the President cannot use NATO obligations as justification for military action without prior Congressional authorization. The resolution directly addresses how NATO commitments interact with the Constitution's war powers requirement. As a formal Senate expression of opinion, it has no legal effect but aims to reinforce Congress's role in military decisions.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jun 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jun 22, 2023 Last action Jun 22, 2023
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1
Jun 22, 2023
Committee
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S2237)
upper
Jun 22, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

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