This resolution reaffirms support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The resolution urges the United States to continue to be a leader in promoting nonproliferation through specified measures.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 825 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 825
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), recognizing the
importance of the NPT's continued contributions to United States and
international security, and commemorating United States leadership in
strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime since the dawn of the
nuclear era.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 30, 2020
Mr. Sherman (for himself, Mr. Banks, Mr. Foster, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr.
Lujan, Mr. Rooney of Florida, Mr. Bera, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Visclosky,
Mr. Yoho, and Ms. Spanberger) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), recognizing the
importance of the NPT's continued contributions to United States and
international security, and commemorating United States leadership in
strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime since the dawn of the
nuclear era.
This resolution may be cited as the ``NPT at 50 Resolution''.
Whereas the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons has been a bedrock principle of
United States foreign policy since 1945;
Whereas the United States and the former Soviet Union averted a catastrophic
nuclear exchange during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which led
to a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements to reduce the
chances of nuclear war and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons;
Whereas President John F. Kennedy predicted in 1963 that as many as 25 countries
would acquire nuclear weapons by 1970 absent a treaty to control nuclear
weapons;
Whereas the nuclear nonproliferation regime, led by the United States, has been
strengthened by a complex network of complementary treaties, and
agreements, the cornerstone of which is the NPT;
Whereas the NPT was signed by the United States, alongside the United Kingdom
and the Soviet Union, on its first day of opening for signature, July 1,
1968;
Whereas the United States ratified the treaty on March 13, 1969, with a vote on
ratification of 83 to 15;
Whereas the NPT entered into force on March 5, 1970;
Whereas the NPT provides important stability for United States and international
security, and its success has and will continue to depend upon the full
implementation by all State Parties of the treaty's three mutually
reinforcing pillars: nonproliferation, access to peaceful uses of
nuclear energy, and disarmament;
Whereas United States leadership has been and will contribute to be
indispensable to the development and success of the nuclear
nonproliferation regime;
Whereas, on May 11, 1995, the NPT was extended indefinitely;
Whereas the NPT has grown to include 191 State Parties, making an irreplaceable
contribution to international security by preventing the spread of
nuclear weapons;
Whereas only one nonnuclear weapon state that was a party to the treaty has
acquired nuclear weapons;
Whereas the United States has led the NPT's disarmament pillar by negotiating
bilateral arms control agreements, achieving dramatic reductions in the
nuclear weapons stockpile, in support of Article VI and the disarmament
aims of the NPT, such as 1972 SALT I, 1979 SALT II, 1991 START I, 1993
START II, SORT, and New START;
Whereas the United States has promoted the NPT's nonproliferation pillar by
supporting states which relinquished their nuclear weapons and acceded
to the NPT, such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and South Africa;
Whereas the United States has also been a lead supporter of many regional
nuclear-weapons-free zones, including Latin America, Central Asia, the
South Pacific, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and bans on nuclear weapons
on the seabed, in outer space, and on the Moon;
Whereas the United States has worked to ensure the peaceful uses of nuclear
energy by supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency and its
safeguards programs, including the Additional Protocol;
Whereas every President has supported the NPT, such as when President Donald
Trump noted in a message to the International Atomic Energy Agency's
General Conference September 16, 2019, ``For nearly 50 years, the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has prevented the spread of nuclear
weapons'';
Whereas, on September 18, 2018, Assistant Secretary of State for International
Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford recalled a President
Trump statement in which he called the Additional Protocol ``the
international standard'', and then Ford noted that ``consistent with
that message, the AP should be universalized'';
Whereas the United States has been a strong supporter of the implementing bodies
of the nonproliferation and export control regimes, such as the Zangger
Committee and the Nuclear Suppliers Group;
Whereas the 2018 Department of Defense Nuclear Posture Review affirms, ``The
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a cornerstone of the nuclear
nonproliferation regime. It plays a positive role in building consensus
for non-proliferation and enhances international efforts to impose costs
on those that would pursue nuclear weapons outside the Treaty'';
Whereas, on June 28, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the treaty first being
signed, the United States, United Kingdom, and Russian governments
released a joint statement, reaffirming their commitment to work toward
``the ultimate goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons, as set forth
in the NPT'';
Whereas Congress has often been at the forefront of advocating for
nonproliferation, including through the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945,
the McMahon Act of 1946, the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Act of 1978, the Export Administration Act of 1979, the
Nunn-Lugar Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991, and the Nuclear
Proliferation Prevention Act of 1994; and
Whereas the 10th NPT Review Conference will occur during the treaty's 50th year
in New York, from April 27 to May 22, 2020: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) reaffirms its support for the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons, to further reduce the number of nuclear
weapons, and to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy as
it has over the past 50 years;
(2) reaffirms that a strong nonproliferation regime is in
the United States interests; and
(3) urges the United States to continue to be a leader on
supporting the NPT and the nonproliferation regime, by--
(A) continuing to encourage all State Parties to
the NPT to comply fully with the treaty;
(B) maintaining support for the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through its assessed and
voluntary contributions and promoting the universal
adoption of the IAEA Additional Protocol;
(C) continuing to encourage opportunities for
cooperation with other nuclear possessing states to
reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons in their
national military strategies;
(D) encouraging universality of the NPT and the
Additional Protocol;
(E) encouraging all states with nuclear energy
programs to purchase nuclear fuel on the international
market and discouraging national enrichment and
reprocessing programs;
(F) encouraging the continuation of the global
moratorium on nuclear testing; and
(G) working toward a successful 2020 NPT Review
Conference.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Mr. Espaillat moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5909-5911)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 825.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H5909)
On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5909)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
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