Senators Merkley, Warren, Gillibrand, Markey, Wyden and Sanders have introduced the Prevention of Arms Race Act of 2018 (S.3667), which declares a sense of the Senate that “President Trump’s announcement of the intent of the United States to withdraw from the INF Treaty, without proper consultation with Congress, is a serious breach of Congress’s proper constitutional role as a co-equal branch of government”, and erects several high barriers to spending on deployment of INF-violative missiles and Let’s keep up the pressure!
Donald Trump has announced that he intends to withdraw the United States from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Tell Congress to save this vital nuclear treaty.
The INF Treaty is a key element of the arms control framework limiting nuclear weapons and arms racing. Agreed to in 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union, it prohibits the two countries from deploying both nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges between 500 and 5500 km (310 and 3420 miles). Often forward deployed and intermingled with other forces, these are among the weapons most likely to lead to miscalculation or misadventure in a crisis. U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty is another sign of deepening crisis among the nuclear-armed states. It imperils the entire structure of arms control and disarmament and could lead to new and unpredictable rounds of arms racing.
Both the U.S. and Russia accuse each other of violating the INF Treaty. Wherever the truth lies, the solution is not to pull out of the Treaty, but to redouble diplomatic efforts to resolve the allegations. We call on the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to leave the INF Treaty and engage in negotiations with Russia.
Congress should adopt legislation or a resolution expressly stating its opposition to withdrawal from the INF Treaty. Although the constitutional question of whether the President can withdraw from a treaty despite express Congressional disapproval is unlikely to be resolved by the courts, Congress has the power to refuse to fund weapons testing, production or deployment of systems that violate the Treaty, and to legislate additional restrictions to assure that the Treaty’s intentions remain in effect. The Executive Branch should not request and Congress should not fund weapons prohibited by the Treaty.
UFPJ is part of a broad coalition taking action to urge Congress to support the INF Treaty and to prevent U.S. actions which violate it. Click here to join this action by contacting your Representative and Senators.
