CONGRESSMAN LIEU & SENATOR MARKEY INTRODUCE THE RESTRICTING FIRST USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS ACT
September 27, 2016
Press Release
Washington - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) introduced H.R. 6179, the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2016. This legislation would prohibit the President from launching a nuclear first strike without a declaration of war by Congress. The crucial issue of nuclear first use – discussed in last evening’s Presidential Debate – is all the more urgent given the fact that a majority of Americans do not trust Republican Nominee Donald Trump with our nation’s nuclear arsenal.
Upon introduction of this legislation, Senator Markey issued the following statement:
“Nuclear war poses the gravest risk to human survival. Unfortunately,
by maintaining the option of using nuclear weapons first in a conflict,
U.S. policy increases the risk of unintended nuclear escalation. The
President should not use nuclear weapons except in response to a nuclear
attack. This legislation enshrines this simple principle into law. I
thank Rep. Lieu for his partnership on this common-sense bill during
this critical time in our nation’s history.”
Upon introduction of this legislation, Mr. Lieu issued the following statement:
"Our Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they
knew the President could launch a massive, potentially
civilization-ending military strike without authorization from Congress.
Our Constitution created a government based on checks and balances and
gave the power to declare war solely to the people’s representatives. A
nuclear first strike, which can kill hundreds of millions of people and
invite a retaliatory strike that can destroy America, is war. The
current nuclear launch approval process, which gives the decision to
potentially end civilization as we know it to a single individual, is
flatly unconstitutional. I am proud to introduce the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2016 with Sen. Markey to realign our nation’s nuclear weapons launch policy with the Constitution.”
Praise for the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2016
William J. Perry, Former Secretary of Defense – “During
my period as Secretary of Defense, I never confronted a situation, or
could even imagine a situation, in which I would recommend that the
President make a first strike with nuclear weapons—understanding that
such an action, whatever the provocation, would likely bring about the
end of civilization. I believe that the legislation proposed by
Congressman Lieu and Senator Markey recognizes that terrible reality.
Certainly a decision that momentous for all of civilization should have
the kind of checks and balances on Executive powers called for by our
Constitution.”Tom Z. Collina, Policy Director of Ploughshares Fund – “Current US nuclear policy is undemocratic and unconstitutional. In the realm of nuclear weapons, the United States is closer to a dictatorship than a democracy. The President has absolute authority to use nuclear weapons, and Congress has been cut out. It is time to bring democracy to nuclear policy, and Rep. Lieu and Sen. Markey’s bill moves us in that direction.”
Megan Amundson, Executive Director of Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) – “Rep. Lieu and Sen. Markey have rightly called out the dangers of only one person having his or her finger on the nuclear button. The potential misuse of this power in the current global climate has only magnified this concern. It is time to make real progress toward lowering the risk that nuclear weapons are ever used again, and this legislation is a good start.”
Catherine Thomasson, MD, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility – "We must understand that our own nuclear weapons pose an unacceptable risk to our national security. The "successful" use of our own nuclear arsenal would cause catastrophic climate disruption around the world including here in the United States. These weapons are suicide bombs, and no one individual should have the power to introduce them into a conflict. The Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2016 is an important step to lessen the chance these weapons will be used."
Congressman Lieu is a member of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.
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