January 13, 2026
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
To limit the use of funds to assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the NATO Unity Protection Act
or the NATO UP Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The unified strength of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is critical to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
(2)
Any occupation or takeover of the sovereign territory of a NATO ally would violate the Charter of the United Nations and numerous articles of the North Atlantic Treaty, done at Washington April 4, 1949, and approved for ratification by the United States Senate on July 21, 1949 (also known as the Washington Treaty
).
(3)
Occupation or similar actions against the sovereign territory of a NATO ally by the United States in circumstances other than to repel a foreign invasion by a non-NATO-member state would put the United States in a conflict with NATO and NATO member states, possibly weakening NATO to the point of it ceasing to be an effective collective security alliance.
(4)
Such an outcome would serve the strategic interests of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China while significantly undermining the national security and foreign policy objectives of the United States.
Sec. 3. Limitation on use of Department of Defense funds
None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available for any fiscal year for the Department of Defense may be used to blockade, occupy, annex, conduct military operations against, or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state, other than as authorized by that NATO member state or the North Atlantic Council.
Sec. 4. Limitation on use of Department of State funds
None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available for any fiscal year for the Department of State may be used to develop, support, or implement any plan for the United States to blockade, occupy, annex, conduct military operations against, or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state, other than as authorized by that NATO member state or the North Atlantic Council.
Sec. 5. Rule of construction
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself or an ally from an armed attack or from a credible threat of an imminent armed attack.