“REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 117-3” published by the Congressional Record on July 11

“REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 117-3” published by the Congressional Record on July 11

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Volume 168, No. 113 covering the 2nd Session of the 117th Congress (2021 - 2022) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 117-3” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the in the Senate section section on page S3198 on July 11.

The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 117-3

Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following treaty transmitted to the Senate on July 11, 2022, by the President of the United States:

Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden (Treaty Document No. 117-3).

I further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read the first time; that it be referred, with accompanying papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the President's message be printed in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The message of the President is as follows:

To the Senate of the United States:

I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to its ratification, the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden ( the

``Protocols''). The Protocols were signed in Brussels on July 5, 2022, on behalf of the United States and the other Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty. Also transmitted for the information of the Senate is an overview of the Protocols by the Department of State. Full ratification of the Protocols will allow Finland and Sweden to become Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which outlines NATO's Open Door policy, is part of the doctrinal foundation of the Alliance. It states that Allies may, by unanimous consent, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of the Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede. As further explained in the reports on the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, transmitted to the Congress on May 19 and July 1, 2022, in light of section 3(2)(E) of the Resolution of Advice and Consent to Ratification of the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic of April 30, 1998, Finland and Sweden more than meet these qualifications. They will be net contributors to the Alliance, in both capabilities and resources, and they share critically important values with the United States. Finland's and Sweden's accession will help further United States priorities within NATO.

I ask the Senate to continue working with my Administration in advancing a strong and free Europe by providing its prompt advice and consent to ratification of the Protocols. We are encouraging all Allies to act expeditiously in their own ratification processes as well, given current global considerations. My Administration stands ready to brief and assist you in your deliberations.

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The White House, July 11, 2022.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 113

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