,,iii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #efe ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bf1 #bjbd,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 and ,mr4 ,durbin7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,condemning democratic backsliding in ,hungary4 ,whereas ,hungary transitioned to a democracy in #aihi following decades of ruthless repression by the ,soviet ,union1 including the brutal suppression of the ,revolution of #aief in which thousands of ,hungarians were killed2 ,whereas ,hungary formally joined the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 on ,march #ab1 #aiii1 signaling a commitment to transatlantic unity and democratic resilience2 ,whereas1 as part of obligations to transatlantic security as a member of ,,nato1 ,hungary has sent troops to ,kosovo and ,afghanistan1 contributes to the ,baltic air policing mission1 and leads ,operation ,althea1 the ,european ,union ,force in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina 7,,eufor72 ,whereas ,viktor ,orban first assumed the office of the ,prime ,minister of ,hungary in #aiih and1 while in office1 restricted the number of plenary sessions held by the ,parliament of ,hungary1 limiting oversight of the government2 ,whereas the ,government of ,hungary has used migration1 the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 and the war against ,ukraine by the ,russian ,federation to justify ongoing states of emergency in ,hungary that allow the ,orban cabinet to rule by decree1 bypassing the parliament2 ,whereas1 following the tenure of ,orban as ,leader of the ,opposition from #bjjb to #bjaj1 ,orban again assumed the office of the ,prime ,minister of ,hungary following the parliamentary elections success of the ,fidesz party2 ,whereas the ,orban government passed a new constitution for ,hungary in #bjaa1 which limited the power of independent institutions in ,hungary1 including the ,constitutional ,court and the judicial system1 reduced the number of seats in the ,national ,assemble of ,hungary by almost half1 restricted civil liberties1 and instituted a politicized media regulation authority with power to shut down outlets critical of the government2 ,whereas1 in #bjai1 ,hungary became the first ,european ,union member state to be downgraded to partly free by ,freedom ,house1 an internationally recognized non-profit organization1 in #bjbb1 the ,european ,parliament ruled that ,hungary was no longer considered a full democracy1 and in #bjbc1 ,transparency ,international1 an internationally recognized non-profit organization1 ranked ,hungary as the most corrupt ,european ,union member state2 ,whereas1 in ,december #bjbc1 ,hungary instituted a law purportedly designed to protect the sovereignty of ,hungary1 but which actually serves as a tool to silence ,hungarians who disagree with the current ruling party and has led to infringement proceedings by the ,european ,union2 ,whereas the ,european ,union took the unprecedented step of withholding more than #cj1jjj1jjj1jjj in funds due to concerns about rule of law and corruption in ,hungary1 and continues to withhold more than #bj1jjj1jjj1jjj of such funds2 ,whereas ,hungary has sought to strengthen its relationship with the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 including by participating in the #afa format and the ,belt and ,road ,initiative1 the first ,european country to do so2 ,whereas1 following the illegal annexation of ,crimea by the ,russian ,federation in #bjad1 ,prime ,minister ,orban and the ,government of ,hungary has resisted and diluted ,european ,union sanctions with respect to the ,russian ,federation2 ,whereas1 in response to the further invasion of ,ukraine by the ,russian ,federation in #bjbb1 ,hungary announced support for ,ukraine to become a member of the ,european ,union1 strengthening ,european and transatlantic unity at a critical juncture2 ,whereas1 since ,february #bd1 #bjbb1 more than #hjj1jjj refugees have fled ,ukraine through ,hungary in response to the unprovoked and illegal war in ,ukraine initiated by ,vladimir ,putin1 and more than #ce1jjj ,ukrainians have sought to stay in ,hungary2 ,whereas the ,government of ,hungary has worked with local partners1 including non-governmental organizations1 to provide essential services to ,ukrainian refugees2 ,whereas ,hungary has blocked the transfer of weapons from partners and allies to ,ukraine through the border that ,hungary shares with ,ukraine1 moved to delay financial assistance from the ,european ,union to ,ukraine1 and carved out exceptions on ,european ,union sanctions against the ,russian ,federation to continue to allow ,russian oil and gas to flow to ,hungary2 ,whereas ,prime ,minister ,orban has sought a closer relationship with ,vladimir ,putin1 including by meeting ,putin in ,beijing in #bjbc1 the first leader of a ,european ,union member state to meet with ,putin since ,april #bjbb and the only leader of a ,,nato member state to meet with ,putin since the ,russian ,federation launched a full-scale invasion of ,ukraine on ,february #bd1 #bjbb2 ,whereas1 in response to the war in ,ukraine1 ,,nato is the strongest and most unified it has ever been1 as exemplified through the enlargement of ,,nato to include ,finland as the #cast member state2 ,whereas1 despite approving the accession of ,finland to ,,nato on ,march #bg1 #bjbc1 ,hungary has delayed joining all other ,,nato member states in approving the accession of ,sweden to ,,nato1 failing to fulfill a commitment not to be last to approve such accession and jeopardizing transatlantic security at a key moment for peace and stability in ,europe2 and ,whereas1 on ,february #bf1 #bjbd1 the ,hungarian ,parliament voted in support of the accession of ,sweden to ,,nato3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the important role ,hungary can play in ,european and transatlantic security2 7#b7 condemns the ongoing democratic backsliding in ,hungary1 perpetuated by the closing of civil spaces and the consolidation of power at the highest levels of government1 including the restrictions placed on the judicial system2 7#c7 reaffirms the indispensable role a free and independent media plays in supporting government transparency and democratic accountability1 and the efforts of the ,government of ,hungary to curtail and undermine such activities2 7#d7 urges ,hungary to continue working at the bilateral1 multilateral1 and regional levels on military cooperation1 energy independence1 and democratic resilience with other democratic actors2 7#e7 expresses concern with the deepening relationship between ,hungary1 the ,russian ,federation1 and the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7#f7 welcomes the vote of ,hungary on ,february #bf1 #bjbd1 ratifying the accession of ,sweden to the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato72 and 7#g7 expresses regret that the ,government of ,hungary1 as the last member of ,,nato to schedule a vote on the ,,nato membership of ,sweden1 unnecessarily prolonged the accession of ,sweden to ,,nato4