Barbara Lee Statement on Passage of New START Treaty

Contact: Nicole Y. Williams
(202) 225-2661

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s ratification of the nuclear arms control agreement known as the New START Treaty:

”I applaud President Obama for his diligence in negotiating this agreement, and my congressional colleagues in the Senate for their support of the New Start Treaty.

“The New START Treaty lays important groundwork for renewed international cooperation to build confidence, protect and strengthen the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and bring us closer to the realization of a future free of the threat of nuclear weapons.

 

“The United States not only can, but must live up to its responsibilities as a nuclear power under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by taking urgent and meaningful action toward the ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament.

 

“It is not in the national security interest of the United States to maintain a nuclear weapons policy that is trapped in the confines of a cold-war era defense framework.

 

“I strongly support President Obama’s conviction to set a new trajectory for U.S. nuclear policy in order to assure a safer and more secure world.

 

“The ratification of the New START Treaty is a modest, but important first step toward that goal.”

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