Washington (August 5,
2021) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the East Asia
Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and long-time
Congressional leader on nuclear non-proliferation, released the following
statement on the 76th anniversary of Hiroshima.
“On the 76th
anniversary of Hiroshima, we remember the devastating impact of the dangerous,
untested weapon that was dropped over Hiroshima, and three days later on
Nagasaki. As Americans, we must contend with the legacy of being the first
country to develop -- and the only country to unleash -- life-destroying
weapons in combat, forever changing modern war.
“In 1982, I addressed
the largest peace demonstration in our nation’s history. One million people
demanded that President Reagan freeze the U.S. arms race with the Soviet Union
– a moment that spurred the Nuclear Freeze Movement. In 1985, on the 40th anniversary of the bombing, I met
survivors of Hiroshima, known as the ‘Hibakusha’,
who inspired me to lead the
effort to eliminate U.S. underground explosive nuclear-tests in 1986. Through
these now-halted tests, thousands of innocent lives were exposed to dangerous
radioactive material that knew no borders, as the destruction spread from the
American Southwest to the steppes of Kazakhstan to the Marshall Islands. The
Manhattan Project scientists had predicted immediate blast effects to the best
of their ability, but they could not predict the ongoing effects of exposure
from the deadly radioactive material, impacting the lives of the innocent,
indiscriminately.
“The United States
has the moral responsibility to lead the global effort to eliminate nuclear
weapons and erase the undeniable threat they cause. This will not happen
overnight, but we must work to ensure that the horrific events of 1945 can
never be repeated. President Biden has taken the initiative to extend the
nuclear New START treaty for an additional five years, paving the way for the
United States and Russia to guard against a rerun of the 20th
century nuclear arms race. The President must now take additional bold actions
that lead the world towards a future where nuclear weapons can no longer
threaten to erase every person on the planet.”
Senator Markey has
recently led several initiatives aimed at reducing the role and number of
nuclear weapons globally:
- Last year, the House of Representatives National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) adopted Senator Markey’s Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear
Explosives Testing (PLANET) Act to deny funds for the Trump
administration to conduct an explosive nuclear test.
- In
January this year, Senator Markey and Representative Ted Lieu (CA-33) announced
the reintroduction of their Restricting First Use of Nuclear
Weapons Act of 2021, which
would prohibit the President of the United States from launching a nuclear
first strike absent a declaration of war by Congress
- In
April this year, Senator Markey and Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) introduced
their Investing in Cures Before Missiles
Act (ICBM Act), which
would divert money from the proposed Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD)
towards efforts to develop a universal coronavirus vaccine.
- In
May this year, Senator Markey and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
reintroduced the Smarter Approach to Nuclear
Expenditures (SANE) Act, which would cancel or reduce nuclear
weapons programs over the next decade and generate at least $73 billion in cost
savings.
- In
June this year, Senator Markey and Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02)
announced reintroduction of their bicameral Hastening Arms Limitation Talks
(HALT) Act, legislation
outlining a vision for a 21st century nuclear freeze movement coinciding with
the 39th anniversary
of the one-million who gathered in New York’s Central Park.
- In
July this year, Senator Markey, along with fellow co-chairs of the bicameral
Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, led twenty of their colleagues urging
President Biden to
consider a series of bold actions that would fulfill his pledge to reduce
“nuclear weapons in our national security strategy.”
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