A bipartisan Senate trio is heading to The Hague next week for the annual NATO summit, where defense spending, the Iran-Israel conflict and the war in Ukraine are expected to dominate the agenda.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who co-chair the Senate NATO Observer Group, are leading the delegation alongside Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). President Donald Trump is also scheduled to attend.
The senators are scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Romanian President Nicușor Dan, plus foreign and defense ministers from Balkan nations.
NATO members are expected to commit at this year’s summit to spending 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related priorities — a big jump from the current 2% benchmark. Spain has been a high-profile holdout on this issue.
On Capitol Hill, senators from both parties have been hammering the Trump administration for its FY2026 defense budget request, saying it’s inadequate and would result in a cut as a percentage of GDP.
It’s typically a much larger group accompanying Shaheen and Tillis. But given the uncertainty about timing for floor action on reconciliation, senators who would’ve otherwise joined are staying back in Washington. The summit is taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Shaheen and Tillis restarted the NATO Observer Group in 2018 and, earlier this month, introduced legislation to codify it as an official Senate entity with funding and staff. Shaheen and Tillis introduced a resolution this week commemorating the annual summit.
They’ve become close friends over the years, and there isn’t much daylight between them when it comes to support for Ukraine and NATO more broadly.
Tillis has gotten intense backlash from the MAGA wing of the party as a result. But Tillis hasn’t backed off or softened his posture, even as he’s running for reelection in 2026 and could face a primary challenge.
