Bill would prevent any American president from launching a nuclear first strike without Congressional approval
Washington (April 14, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey
(D-Mass.), co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group,
and Representative Ted Lieu (CA-33) today announced the reintroduction of
the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act to prohibit
any United States President from launching a nuclear strike without prior
authorization from Congress. The legislation would also institute safeguards to
prevent the president from introducing nuclear weapons in a conflict
and reaffirm Congress’ singular constitutional authority to declare
war. The reintroduction of Restricting First Use of Nuclear
Weapons Act comes after a year of reckless nuclear threats from
Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war of aggression against Ukraine.
Fifty-four years ago this week, on April 15, 1969, North Korea shot down a U.S.
military plane. According to top aides present at
the time, an intoxicated President Richard Nixon allegedly ordered a nuclear
strike in response. Thankfully, that order was disregarded and never carried
out – however, it exposed the dangerous possibility of a rogue U.S. president
ordering a nuclear strike without Congressional authorization.
“No president has the right or the constitutional authority to unilaterally
declare war, let alone launch a nuclear first strike,” said
Senator Markey. “In the face of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats,
Congress must pass the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act to reaffirm
its authority and make clear to world leaders that the United States will
uphold its commitment to peace, stability, and democracy.”
“Our founders established a system of checks and balances for a reason—no one
person should have the ability to launch a war that would end life as we know
it,” said Representative Lieu. “Congress alone has the
constitutional duty to declare war, and decide whether a nuclear launch is
necessary. In the wake of Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine,
and given the volatility of autocrats like war criminal Vladimir Putin, the
threat presented by unpredictable use of nuclear weapons has never been
clearer. I’m proud to join Senator Markey in reintroducing this important
legislation, which will establish necessary guardrails to the President’s
ability to launch nuclear weapons.”
A copy of the legislation can be found HERE.
The Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act is endorsed
by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Council for a Livable World,
Foreign Policy for America, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Global
Zero, Win Without War, and Ploughshares Fund.
In 2022, Senators Markey and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Representatives John
Garamendi (CA-03) and Don Beyer (VA-08) led 51 of their colleagues in a letter
to President Joe Biden urging the U.S. to reduce its reliance on nuclear
weapons. On the one-year anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale
invasion of Ukraine, the lawmakers condemned President
Putin’s nuclear threats and Russia’s violation of the New START
Treaty.
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