Lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a motion supporting NATO, as President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE continues to criticize the alliance ahead of his summit in Europe. The nonbinding motion, which came as the Senate voted to reconcile its version of the annual defense policy bill with that of the House, expresses the Senate’s support for NATO and calls on negotiators to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to it. The 97-2 vote in the Senate comes as Trump heads to Brussels. He will also travel to the United Kingdom and meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki during his trip. ADVERTISEMENT GOP Sens. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulRand Paul responds to Colbert on vaccines: 'Try to ignore your bias' Suspicious package sent to Rand Paul home appears nontoxic, sheriff says Rand Paul receives suspicious package containing white powder at home MORE (Ky.) and Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeHillicon Valley: Amazon facing lawsuits alleging racial, gender bias | Senate Commerce panel advances Biden's top science nominee | Colonial Pipeline CEO to testify on Capitol Hill in June Senate Commerce advances Biden's top science nominee Senators introducing bill to penalize Pentagon for failed audits MORE (Utah) voted against the measure. Democratic Sen. Jack Reed Jack ReedAir Force secretary nominee: Gillibrand has 'some persuasive arguments' on military justice overhaul Democratic feud erupts over scope of military sexual assault bill Overnight Defense: Austin, Bidens thank National Guard as Capitol mission ends | CBO estimates nuclear arsenal to cost 4B over 10 years | Senate Armed Services chairman backs change in prosecuting military sexual assault MORE (R.I.) proposed the measure, calling the U.S. support for NATO "ironclad." Trump has long been critical of NATO members for failing to meet their defense spending commitments, and has ramped up the criticism in the days ahead of the summit. The president suggested in a tweet on his way to Brussels that other NATO members should reimburse the U.S. for what he has called the nation’s “unfair” contributions to the alliance. NATO members agreed in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic product by 2024. But Trump has incorrectly suggested that this spending is meant to be on NATO as a whole, not on the countries’ individual defense. The attacks also come as Trump has frustrated key allies like the European Union, Canada and Mexico with steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.<doc-sep>The House on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution expressing support for NATO as President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE roiled allies with escalating calls for increased spending from alliance members. The House, which added the NATO resolution to its schedule this week, approved the item via voice vote, according to multiple reports. It calls NATO “the most important and critical security link between the United States and Europe.” ADVERTISEMENT Trump on Wednesday repeatedly called for allies to increase their spending contributions toward the alliance. He has long complained that the U.S. shoulders an unfair burden in covering a majority of the funding for NATO. The House resolution came a day after the Senate approved a nonbinding motion 97-2 expressing support for the alliance. However, Trump ratcheted up his demands on the first day of the NATO summit in Belgium, calling for countries to increase their spending target from 2 percent of their country's respective gross domestic product (GDP) to 4 percent. Trump later demanded countries increase their contributions "immediately," despite an agreement allowing allies to gradually raise the amount to 2 percent by 2024. However, the 2014 spending goals agreed upon by member states have to do with their individual defense budgets rather than the alliance as a whole. Some lawmakers have pushed back on Trump's criticisms. Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanPaul Ryan to headline Kinzinger fundraiser Biden's relationship with top House Republican is frosty The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Emergent BioSolutions - Facebook upholds Trump ban; GOP leaders back Stefanik to replace Cheney MORE (R-Wis.) said Wednesday, shortly after the president singled out Germany, that NATO is "indispensable" and "as important today as it ever has been."<doc-sep>What Trump says about NATO and what it actually does ZAGAN, POLAND - JUNE 18: A soldier of the Polish Army mans a tank as a NATO flag flies behind during the NATO Noble Jump military exercises of the VJTF forces on June 18, 2015 in Zagan, Poland. The VJTF, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, is NATO's response to Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Troops from Germany, Norway, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Holland were among those taking part today. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) U.S. President Donald Trump attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. NATO leaders gather in Brussels for a two-day summit to discuss Russia, Iraq and their mission in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L), US President Donald Trump (R), NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Alejandro Alvargonzalez (2L), NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu (3L) and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (3R) and US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison (2R) speak at a breakfast meeting at the US chief of mission's residence in Brussels on July 11, 2018, ahead of a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference after a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, July 12, 2018. NATO leaders gather in Brussels for a two-day summit. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses a press conference on the second day of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels on July 12, 2018. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) National Security Advisor John Bolton listens as US President Donald Trump addresses the nation on the situation in Syria April 13, 2018 at the White House in Washington, DC. Trump said strikes on Syria are under way. / AFP PHOTO / Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: U.S. President Donald Trump talks about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with House Republicans in the Cabinet Room of the White House on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. Following a diplomatic summit in Helsinki, Trump faced harsh criticism after a press conference with Putin where he would not say whether he believed Russia meddled with the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, May 17, 2018. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (CNN) — The Senate took a bipartisan swipe at President Donald Trump on Tuesday when it overwhelmingly approved a motion of support for NATO. The 97-2 vote reflects the broad concerns on Capitol Hill over Trump’s seeming ambivalence about the alliance and his commitment to it. The vote came the same day Trump arrived in Brussels, Belgium, for a summit of NATO nations and shortly before he heads to Helsinki, Finland, for a one-on-one session with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Before he landed in Brussels, Trump tweeted some of his concerns about NATO: “Many countries in NATO, which we are expected to defend, are not only short of their current commitment of 2% (which is low), but are also delinquent for many years in payments that have not been made. Will they reimburse the U.S.?” Sen. Jack Reed, the Rhode Island Democrat who authored the nonbinding motion, spoke on the Senate floor. “No one should ever doubt the United States’ resolve in meeting its commitments to the mutual defense of the NATO alliance,” Reed said. “Unfortunately, this motion has become necessary because some of our closest allies have come to question the US commitment to collective self-defense. President Trump has at times called the alliance ‘obsolete.’ Our allies are starting to wonder whether they can rely on the United States to come to their defense in a crisis.” In an interview on CNN, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Senate GOP leader, explained why the motion was needed. “I think it is important that we demonstrate a strong commitment to the NATO alliance,” Thune said. “I mean this is something that has served freedom-loving countries well for half a century.” The motion also called on the administration to “urgently prioritize the completion of a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to counter malign activities of Russia that seek to undermine faith in democratic institutions in the United States and around the world.” Critics have repeatedly accused Trump of being too close to Putin and not responsive to evidence of meddling by Russia in the last US presidential election. Two GOP senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the measure. “Why is the U.S. Senate pushing to expand NATO when most of them aren’t even paying their fair share? I stand with @realDonaldTrump,” Paul said in a tweet. Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a request for an explanation why the Utah senator voted against the measure.<doc-sep>
The House will vote Wednesday on a resolution expressing support for NATO and Central and Eastern European countries. Lawmakers will consider the measure just hours after President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE kicked off the NATO summit in Brussels by criticizing “delinquent” allies for not spending enough money on defense and saying Germany was “captive to Russia” due to a pipeline deal. ADVERTISEMENT "Many countries are not paying what they should. And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they're delinquent, as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them," Trump said. The Senate already voted in favor of a motion on Tuesday supporting NATO ahead of the summit. The House added the NATO resolution to its schedule this week. The measure was not initially included on floor guidance sent out at the beginning of the week or early Wednesday morning. The House’s resolution, which the Foreign Affairs Committee approved by voice vote last month, calls NATO “the most important and critical security link between the United States and Europe.” It also says the House “supports keeping United States sanctions imposed against Russia” and says its essential for “the United States to maintain and increase political, economic, and security support for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.” Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanPaul Ryan to headline Kinzinger fundraiser Biden's relationship with top House Republican is frosty The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Emergent BioSolutions - Facebook upholds Trump ban; GOP leaders back Stefanik to replace Cheney MORE (R-Wis.) called the long-standing alliance “indispensable,” though he said he shared Trump’s concerns that NATO allies were not contributing their fair share on defense. “I subscribe to the view that we should not be criticizing our president while he’s overseas,” Ryan said Wednesday. “NATO is indispensable. It is as important today as it ever has been,” the Speaker added.