{"id":2630031,"date":"2026-07-15T10:33:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senates-nato-group-leaders-float-rounds-and-king-as-successors\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T10:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:36:08","slug":"senates-nato-group-leaders-float-rounds-and-king-as-successors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senates-nato-group-leaders-float-rounds-and-king-as-successors\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate&#8217;s NATO group leaders float Rounds and King as successors"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenates-nato-group-leaders-float-rounds-and-king-as-successors%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2630031&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh outgoing leaders of the Senate&#8217;s NATO Observer Group suggest that Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) should succeed them as co-chairs next year,amid tensions within the trans-Atlantic alliance. Both senators are valued for their past support of NATO; Rounds is a member of the group and has traveled on its trips, while King is also considered a suitable candidate. The decision rests with Senate leadership, and the appointment process is expected later in the year or at the start of the new Congress. Senators thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who currently co-chair the group, are retiring, raising questions about future leadership. The group aims to demonstrate bipartisan commitment to NATO,with Tillis and Shaheen representing diffrent parties. The importance of the group&#8217;s work is underscored by concerns over rising challenges to NATO, including perceived wavering U.S.support for Ukraine and disagreements over defense spending and engagement in conflicts like Iran. The article also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-and-putin-agree-to-meet-in-hungary-to-end-ukraine-war\/\" title=\"Trump and Putin agree to meet in Hungary to end Ukraine war\">notes ongoing debates<\/a> within Congress about roles such as judiciary chairmanship and highlights recent NATO summits where issues like defense commitments and regional stability were discussed.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014 <\/strong>The outgoing leaders of the Senate\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nato\/\">NATO<\/a> Observer Group are recommending that Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/angus-king\/\">Angus King<\/a> (I-ME) take their place next year, a proposed hand-off that comes at a fraught time in the trans-Atlantic alliance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sens. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thom-tillis\/\">Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-NC) and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeanne-shaheen\/\">Jeanne Shaheen<\/a> (D-NH), who rebooted the Senate caucus in 2018 and serve as co-chairs, are both retiring at the end of the year, leaving open the question of who will champion NATO in Congress at a time when President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> has renewed his threats to withdraw from the defensive pact.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4649133\/watch-live-jay-clayton-testifies-senate-panel-dni-confirmation-hearing\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: Jay Clayton testifies before Senate panel in DNI confirmation hearing<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4648146\/senate-democrats-block-defense-policy-bill-iran-war\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Senate Democrats block defense policy bill in protest of renewed Iran war<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4647651\/watch-live-darline-graham-nordone-sworn-in-brother-lindsey-replacement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: Darline Graham Nordone sworn in as brother Lindsey Graham\u2019s replacement<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision of who will ultimately replace Tillis and Shaheen as co-chairs falls to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\/\">Senate<\/a> leadership, a fact both senators stressed in interviews with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They gravitated to Rounds and King because of their existing support for NATO. Both are members of the NATO Observer Group and regularly attend its congressional trips.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBoth of them have been great traveling with us, and we wanted somebody that\u2019s really invested in it already \u2014 that\u2019s been a member \u2026 and gone through it,\u201d Tillis said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tillis hoped to reveal his recommendation of Rounds at the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month, but he was not able to attend due to a family emergency. Rounds was among the senators who traveled with Shaheen.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would hope that they would appoint both Mike Rounds and Angus King,\u201d Shaheen said, referring to Senate leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for King did not respond to a request for comment, but Shaheen said he \u201cwould be a great replacement.\u201d Rounds\u2019s office confirmed that he is interested in the role. Any decision on appointments would not be made until later in the year or at the start of the new Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The objective of the NATO Observer Group is to demonstrate a strong <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bipartisanship\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1709\">bipartisan<\/a> commitment to the alliance in Congress, with Tillis representing the Republican side of the aisle and Shaheen representing Democrats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should leadership honor their request, Rounds and King would follow in that tradition as co-chairs. Rounds is a Republican, while King, an independent, caucuses with the Democrats. The two have worked together for years in the Senate and served as governors of their respective states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tillis said the NATO Observer Group is as important as ever, given Trump\u2019s wavering support for both the alliance and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"82\">Ukraine<\/a>, which is not a member of NATO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI mean, you\u2019d be amazed when you travel across the world how people think that we don\u2019t have three branches of government and any kind of checks and balances, and you have to go out there and explain why you believe the American people fundamentally support Ukraine,\u201d Tillis said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4647152\/mike-lee-judiciary-chair-senate-lindsey-graham\/\"><strong>MIKE LEE SAYS JUDICIARY CHAIRMANSHIP \u2018HARD TO TURN DOWN\u2019 IF GOP KEEPS SENATE MAJORITY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president called the recent NATO summit in Turkey a \u201clove fest\u201d but also used the venue to resume his gripes over member nations\u2019 defense spending and hesitance to engage in the war in<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\"> Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe administration looks like they\u2019re stepping up on it, but from time to time, they\u2019ve equivocated,\u201d Tillis added. \u201cSo, I think having that congressional, that Senate delegation, showing up is a very important part of maintaining the alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Exclusively: Rounds and King eyed to lead Senate NATO group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2630032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-yf8ishquq-1784069225705-e1784124056520.jpg?1784109647&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[54907,50402,50459,9606,3740],"class_list":["post-2630031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-king-2","tag-leadership-2","tag-nato-2","tag-rounds","tag-senate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-yf8ishquq-1784069225705-e1784124056520.jpg?1784109647&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2630031"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2630035,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630031\/revisions\/2630035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2630032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2630031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2630031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2630031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}