Washington, DC – Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today praised the Senate’s passage of the resolution of ratification for the U.S.-Russia “New START” Treaty to further reduce strategic nuclear arms.

“This is a historic vote to safeguard U.S. national security, to further reduce the nuclear dangers facing us, and to give, indeed, a ‘new start’ to the cause of reducing and eliminating these most terrible of weapons.

“I congratulate my colleagues, Sens. John Kerry and Richard Lugar, who have been instrumental in the passage of this resolution of ratification; all the 71 Senators from both parties who voted for a more secure future for ourselves and our children. I also want to praise the extraordinary efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, ably assisted by Rose Gottemoeller, Jim Jones and Ellen Tauscher for their tireless efforts to negotiate this agreement and its ratification.”