The Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave easy bipartisan approval Tuesday to admitting Finland and Sweden into NATO, as lawmakers aimed for quick Senate passage and a show of congressional support for expansion of the U.S. and European defense alliance in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Committee members approved the expansion by voice vote. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and frequent critic of U.S. policy abroad, voted a neutral “present” rather than yes or no.
