HR 2924119th CongressIn Committee

NATO Burden Sharing Enforcement Act

Introduced: Apr 17, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The NATO Burden Sharing Enforcement Act would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to give the Secretary of State authority to discontinue granting visas to nationals of NATO member countries that do not spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on national defense. The bill expands the criterion for visa denial beyond existing grounds by tying it to NATO defense spending obligations. It also makes a structural change by replacing references to the Attorney General with the Secretary of Homeland Security for related functions, and designates the Secretary of State as the official who would implement visa-denial decisions based on this criterion. In short, the bill uses visa policy as a lever to pressure alliance members to meet the 2% defense-spending target.

Key Points

1Ground for visa denial: Nationals of NATO member countries that do not spend at least 2% of their GDP on national defense could be denied visas by the Secretary of State.
2Agency roles: The bill changes the responsible office from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Homeland Security for related functions, and assigns visa-issuance decisions to the Secretary of State.
3Legal basis adjusted: The amendment modifies Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to add the NATO spending criterion to the factors that can trigger visa denial.
4Scope of applicability: The standard applies to nationals of foreign countries that are members of NATO, tying immigration policy to alliance burden-sharing obligations.
5Status and nature: Introduced in the 119th Congress (April 17, 2025) and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary; it is not yet law.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Nationals of NATO member countries who seek U.S. visas (tourism, business, study, work, family sponsorship, etc.).- U.S. Department of State and Department of Homeland Security personnel responsible for visa policy and enforcement.Secondary group/area affected- NATO member governments, which may face diplomatic pressure and potential visa-related consequences for their citizens.- U.S.-NATO relations, particularly how allied countries perceive and respond to perceived coercion linked to defense spending benchmarks.Additional impacts- Potential effects on bilateral travel, education, and business exchanges with non-compliant NATO members.- Possible legal and policy debates about the use of immigration tools to influence foreign defense budgets, including concerns about due process, exemptions, or humanitarian considerations.- Need for definitional clarity and administrative rules on how the 2% spending threshold is measured, how exemptions would be handled, and whether there are exceptions for security, humanitarian, or national-interest reasons.

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