Senators call for extending SALT nuclear arms treaty

A bill urging the Trump Administration to place limits on Russia’s strategic nuclear arms was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week.

The legislation – sponsored by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) — calls for extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) until 2026. This would preserve caps on Russia’s nuclear capabilities, unless Russia violates the treaty. The New START Treaty — signed in 2010 — has since provided stability, predictability, and critical intelligence insights over more than ninety percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, the lawmakers say. It is set to expire in 2021. It is the only remaining nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia, following the dissolution of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

“Senator Lugar championed the New START Treaty as a means for keeping Russia’s nuclear weapons ambitions in check,” Young said. “This treaty is set to expire in 2021, and as renewing this treaty is debated, we must approach the decision with our eyes wide open to how the threats from nuclear weapons have evolved since the first New START. Whether repeated Russian violations or China’s ambitions, it is vital for our intelligence community to conduct thorough assessments to ensure arms control efforts are effective. I’m glad to join Senator Van Hollen in this bipartisan push to continue Senator Lugar’s work and curb the threat of nuclear weapons from countries like Russia for years to come.”

A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Michael McCaul (R-TX).

“Now more than ever we must preserve effective, verifiable limits on Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The New START Treaty has succeeded in doing that over the last nine years and abandoning it would undercut national security and the security of our allies.” Van Hollen said. “I will continue to work towards curbing nuclear tensions around the world and keeping Russia’s nuclear arsenal in check.”