Washington, DC -- U.S. Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; and Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, today released the following statement on the expiration of the New START Treaty:
“The expiration of the New START Treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia — leaves the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals without legally binding constraints for the first time in more than 50 years.
“New START was not perfect, and Russia’s violations of the agreement and other treaties eroded global arms control norms. Nevertheless, the treaty directly advanced U.S. foreign policy and national security interests: it reduced the number of nuclear weapons, helped prevent a dangerous arms race, and provided U.S. national security agencies reliable, verifiable insights into Russia's arsenal.
“The president must move urgently to negotiate a legally binding successor. President Biden bought critical time by extending New START, but Trump has largely squandered that runway by slashing the State Department’s arms control bureau and gutting the workforce responsible for negotiating these agreements. Failing to reach a legal New START successor will send a terrible signal both to Vladimir Putin and to China, which is engaged in its own nuclear buildup, and roll back the clock to the nuclear free-for-all of the Cold War.”
“The expiration of the New START Treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia — leaves the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals without legally binding constraints for the first time in more than 50 years.
“New START was not perfect, and Russia’s violations of the agreement and other treaties eroded global arms control norms. Nevertheless, the treaty directly advanced U.S. foreign policy and national security interests: it reduced the number of nuclear weapons, helped prevent a dangerous arms race, and provided U.S. national security agencies reliable, verifiable insights into Russia's arsenal.
“The president must move urgently to negotiate a legally binding successor. President Biden bought critical time by extending New START, but Trump has largely squandered that runway by slashing the State Department’s arms control bureau and gutting the workforce responsible for negotiating these agreements. Failing to reach a legal New START successor will send a terrible signal both to Vladimir Putin and to China, which is engaged in its own nuclear buildup, and roll back the clock to the nuclear free-for-all of the Cold War.”