The Senate voted overwhelmingly to admit the two Nordic countries to NATO. The top priority for the Republican leader was to send a signal about the direction of the GOP that had deviated from its traditional principles under President Trump. The president was a critic of NATO. After the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, it was a part of the "America First" agenda that divided Republican officeholders. McConnell traveled to war-torn Ukranian with a congressional delegation in May and made stops in Sweden andFinland. He argued that bringing those countries into NATO made the United States stronger. Even if he lost, the GOP leader still won the fight. Both Lee and Paul changed their votes. Two senators voted against adding Montenegro and North Macedonia to NATO.
Lee and Paul voted in favor of the resolution on both Sweden and Finns.
It is easy to talk about U.S. isolationism or U.S. restraint when there is a dangerous world out there. The Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, told The Hill that Sen. Paul and Sen. Lee did not vote against Sweden and Finn joining NATO.
The greatest foreign adversary facing America is China, which is why the U.S. should not expand security commitments in Europe. Adding North Macedonia to NATO was one of the things he supported.
McConnell criticized the former president in a floor speech shortly after the president's impeachment trial. Even if there are some ways they do align, there is no mistaking the different views of McConnell and Trump.
NATO and foreign policy have been areas of disagreement.
The NATO bloc has been the subject of complaints by Trump, who has called it an "obsolete" organization. He advocated for the U.S. to leave NATO.
Ahead of the vote on Wednesday, McConnell admitted that he was concerned about the isolationist wing of the party.
He told The Associated Press in an interview that he was concerned about the growing isolationist sentiment in the party.
The Republican leader spoke on the Senate floor about potential opposition to the resolution.
McConnell said that he wished the senator good luck with their vote. It is a slam dunk for national security.
The amendment clarifying Congress's war powers in the context of NATO's collective defense clause didn't get the support of the GOP.
The revision was supported by 10 Republicans, including its sponsor, Paul.
Some Republicans don't think the votes are a sign that the GOP is drifting away from the "America First" slogan.
Republican strategist Doug Heye told The Hill that there could be cracks in the GOP's support for Ukraine as Russia's invasion drags on.
Heye didn't think we knew what direction the Republican Party went on foreign policy.
While this vote was overwhelming, there have been other votes that suggest there are cracks in the system.
All opposition came from the Republican Party as the Senate passed a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine. Paul and Lee were among those who voted no. The supplemental was opposed by 57 Republicans in the house.
There is more than one Republican with that view.
I don't think it's growing and I don't think it's Shrinking The vice president of foreign policy and national security at the Heritage Foundation thinks that it has always been there.
He said that the anti-interventionist movement is based on the belief that U.S. foreign policy should be focused on interests at home.
Carafano said that the isolationist wing of the party was because of a senator who had a personal commitment to that. The patchwork of the Republican movement includes that. It's always going to be that way.
The bipartisan vote to add Finland and Sweden to NATO was a victory for McConnell.
It shows that NATO is a vital part of American foreign policy.
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