February 12, 2026
Ms. Sánchez (for herself and Mr. Turner of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
To require congressional approval for the imposition or alteration of certain tariffs, duties, quotas, or tariff-rate quotas with respect to articles imported into the United States from a NATO ally.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Respect NATO Allies Act
.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (commonly referred to as NATO
) alliance, including the principle of collective defense in article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (commonly known as the Washington Treaty
), is critically important to the national security of the United States;
(2)
against the backdrop of the rising threats posed by the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, North American and European security is best assured when working through the NATO alliance;
(3)
prioritizing Arctic security is a shared transatlantic interest and the United States is committed to supporting and facilitating cooperation among NATO Member Countries to improve security outcomes in the Arctic region;
(4)
security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively, through cooperation and deterrence, and by upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders;
(5)
the United States is committed to respecting the democratic sovereignty of NATO Member States and NATO protected territories, as outlined in Article 6 of the Washington Treaty; and
(6)
at a time of growing threats and strategic competition, the United States must continue to leverage NATO, its unique platform with Transatlantic Partners, to promote Allied cohesion and solve our differences through dialogue and cooperation, in the spirit of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Sec. 3. Congressional approval for imposition or alteration of certain tariffs, duties, quotas, or tariff-rate quotas with respect to articles imported into United States from NATO ally
(a) In general
Except as provided by subsection (b), the President, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, may not impose or increase any tariff or other duty or reduce any quota or tariff-rate quota with respect to an article imported into the United States from a NATO ally, unless there is enacted into law a joint resolution of approval under section 3 with respect to such imposition, increase, or reduction.
(b) Exceptions
The requirement under subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to—
(1)
antidumping and countervailing duties imposed or increased under title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671 et seq.);
(2)
duties imposed or increased or quotas or tariff-rate quotas reduced under chapter 1 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2251 et seq.); or
(3)
duties imposed or increased consistent with a ruling authorizing the suspension of benefits or concessions on the part of the United States issued by—
(A)
a dispute settlement panel constituted under a bilateral or plurilateral free trade agreement for which explicit congressional approval pursuant to the requirements of section 151 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2191) has been enacted before the date of the enactment of this Act, on which the United States is a party; or
(B)
a dispute settlement panel described in section 123 of the Uruguay Rounds Agreement Act (19 U.S.C. 3533) on which the United States is a party.
(c) NATO ally defined
In this section, the term NATO ally
—
(1)
means a country that is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and
(2)
includes any territory to which Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (commonly known as the Washington Treaty
) applies, including any territory described in Article 6 of such treaty.
Sec. 4. Joint resolution procedures
(a) Joint resolution of approval defined
For purposes of this Act, the term joint resolution of approval
means only a joint resolution, the sole matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: That Congress approves ___ imposed with respect to ___.
, with the first blank space being filled with a description of the proposed action with respect to the article and the second blank space being filled with a description of the article.
(b) Introduction of joint resolution of approval
A joint resolution of approval may be introduced in either House of Congress by any Member.
(c) Expedited procedures
The provisions of subsections (b) through (f) of section 152 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2192) shall apply to a joint resolution of approval described in subsection (a) to the same extent that such subsections apply to joint resolutions under such section 152.
(d) Rules of the senate and the house of representatives
This section is enacted by Congress—
(1)
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such is deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that House in the case of a joint resolution of approval, and supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is inconsistent with such rules; and
(2)
with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.