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Rep. Roy's statement H.Res. 831

April 6, 2022


WASHINGTON — Rep. Roy issued the following statement Wednesday regarding his vote against H.Res. 831:
 

I voted no on H.Res. 831. NATO is a military alliance, and I fail to see how establishing a “Center for Democratic Resilience” tasked with “monitoring and identifying challenges to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law” strengthens such an alliance or serves American interests.  

Worse than being a distraction to NATO’s mission, I have deep concerns that this center will be weaponized against member countries — such as the United States — who enact policies contrary to the leftist orthodoxy that now unfortunately permeates most of Western Europe. NATO should be focused on military strength — not on empowering international organizations to target the internal activities of sovereign nations under the vague guise of illiberalism or human rights.

In the face of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, it is imperative for the United States to stand side by side with our NATO allies. Instead of passing toothless resolutions  — resolutions that really only exist for members of this body to virtue signal to the media – Congress should be doing its real job. This body should be having robust debate on how to best support Ukraine and achieve a just peace that serves both America's interests and those of our allies.

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