Treaty Would Be Major Step Toward A Nuclear Weapon-Free World

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the founder and co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, this week led a letter, cosigned by 34 of his colleagues in the House of Representatives, calling on the Senate to vote on ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) before the close of the 111th Congress.  

“New START is a major step forward and will serve as a key bridge toward reaching the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world," said Rep. Markey. “The United States must lead the way in the effort to reduce the global stockpile of nuclear weapons.”

“By stopping any debate on START, Senate Republicans have stopped standing up for national security, stopped strengthening the U.S.-Russia partnership to block an Iranian nuclear bomb, and stopped decades of American leadership on nuclear security. It’s time for Senate Republicans to stop the obstruction and start the debate to ratify the New START now.”

In his letter, Markey pointed out the unanimous support for New START from U.S. military leadership, as well the benefits of ratification, including:

Limitations of deployed warheads and delivery vehicles that will reduce the Russian nuclear threat, and
Establishment of an updated information exchange and enhanced on-site inspections that would provide more information on the status of Russian strategic forces that has previously been available.

 A full copy of the letter can be found HERE .

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