Washington (December 18, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement today after the release of President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy.

“The divergence between the words of President Trump’s written National Security Strategy, and the actions of his administration reflects deep policy incoherence,” said Senator Markey. “Rather than reflecting American leadership, the Trump administration continues to undermine its own ability to execute a coherent foreign policy that tackles global challenges.

“The National Security Strategy confirms that we need to lower nuclear risk, yet the Trump administration wants to fund destabilizing nuclear cruise missiles, focusing more on nuclear war-fighting than nuclear non-proliferation. The strategy also states that we must address a growing threat from a nuclear North Korea, yet President Trump ratchets up the likelihood of war with reckless tweets and rhetoric.

“While the Administration is right to identify Russia’s violations of a nuclear treaty, its efforts to destabilize Ukraine, and China’s actions to undermine the liberal international order, the Trump administration fails to articulate a strategy of engaging in these great power relationships in a way that best promotes our interests and avoids confrontation.

“Today’s strategy outlines that we must improve disaster response, but it ignores that climate change makes natural disasters more frequent and severe here at home and across the globe. The nation’s preeminent military leaders agree that climate change is a threat multiplier and advocate for action to mitigate and respond to its impacts. But President Trump denies the science, disregards his own military advisers, and has abdicated global leadership on solutions for this generational challenge.

“The Trump administration says that diplomacy is ‘indispensable’ and that it intends to ‘upgrade our diplomatic capabilities,’ yet this administration is systematically gutting the State Department by denying it funding and failing to fill critical positions.

“The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy is not a vision for the future of America’s security, but rather a document rife with contradictions that will do little to address the very real threats facing our country.”

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