Senators advise Trump on nuclear arms deals

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and John Cornyn (R-TX) are urging President Donald Trump to avoid nuclear arms control treaties that put constraints on the United States while allowing adversaries to build up their nuclear arsenals.

“You and your administration have long insisted that Cold War-style arms control regimes which place limits on the United States but do not include the PRC as a party, pose acute risks to American national security. You have sought to bring China into those regimes or to exit them,” the senators wrote.

The lawmakers wrote that, in December 2019, Trump announced that he was working with Russian President Putin to ensure that an envisioned nuclear arms control treaty would include China. However, the senators said the intelligence community has reason to believe that China won’t meet its obligation pursuant to Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

“We applaud the enormous progress you have made in rebuilding that deterrent after years of neglect, both directly and by untangling the U.S. from outdated treaties that disproportionately advantage our adversaries. We urge you to continue doing so, and remain committed to providing your administration with the authorities and resources necessary to bring the PRC into existing or new arms control regimes, ensure that the U.S. is not subjected to limits that do not constrain our adversaries, and regain and retain nuclear preeminence,” they wrote.