This resolution condemns Russia's nuclear escalatory rhetoric and implied threats on the potential use of nuclear weapons to further its invasion of Ukraine. The resolution also (1) condemns Russia's purported suspension of participation in the New START Treaty, (2) emphasizes the value of arms control agreements between the United States and Russia, and (3) calls on the Biden administration to continue pursuing nuclear arms control and risk reduction with Russia and China.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1079 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1079
Expressing support for the continued value of arms control agreements
and condemning the Russian Federation's purported suspension of its
participation in the New START Treaty.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 13, 2024
Mr. Foster (for himself, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Beyer,
Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Titus, Mr. Keating, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Omar, Ms.
Schakowsky, Ms. Norton, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Porter, Ms.
Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms.
Bonamici, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Morelle, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Goldman of New York,
Mr. Amo, and Mr. Allred) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the continued value of arms control agreements
and condemning the Russian Federation's purported suspension of its
participation in the New START Treaty.
Whereas the United States maintains bipartisan support to ensure national
security and the defense of United States allies and partners;
Whereas President Reagan stated that ``a nuclear war cannot be won and must
never be fought'' in his 1984 State of the Union address, and affirmed
the conviction with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985;
Whereas, in January 2022, President Biden joined the leaders of the People's
Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to reaffirm that
``a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought'';
Whereas the United States, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed the 1994 Budapest Memorandum,
committing ``to respect the independence and sovereignty and the
existing borders of Ukraine'' and ``to refrain from the threat or use of
force'' against the country;
Whereas the United States has a history of leadership in preventing the spread
of nuclear weapons, including its work with Ukraine, the United Kingdom,
and the Russian Federation to ensure Ukraine did not retain any nuclear
weapons left on its territory when it became independent;
Whereas the Russian Federation further illegally invaded Ukraine on February 24,
2022, and has used veiled and blatant nuclear saber-rattling in service
of its war of aggression against a sovereign state;
Whereas the war has led to thousands of casualties, including over 10,000
civilians and more than 560 children killed, along with the displacement
of over 6,400,000 Ukrainians and an enduring global food crisis;
Whereas the Russian Federation's illegal war against Ukraine represents the
greatest threat to European security and freedom in a generation;
Whereas, on February 27, 2022, Russian President Putin ordered his military to
put Russia's nuclear forces on ``special combat readiness'' in an
escalatory response to the United States and its Western allies'
unequivocal condemnation of the Russian Federation's illegal invasion of
Ukraine;
Whereas, on September 21, 2022, President Putin warned he was ``not bluffing''
when he said Russia has ``various weapons of mass destruction'' and
``will use all the means available to us'' to defend its territory
shortly before annexing additional Ukrainian lands through
``referendums'';
Whereas, in February 2021, the United States and the Russian Federation extended
the treaty between the United States of America and the Russian
Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of
Strategic Offensive Arms, also known as New START, for 5 years until
February 5, 2026;
Whereas, on February 21, 2023, President Putin announced the Russian
Federation's purported suspension of the New START Treaty, the last
major remaining bilateral nuclear arms control agreement, in a move
deemed legally invalid by the United States;
Whereas New START has had bipartisan support and limits the Russian nuclear
arsenal to 1,550 warheads on no more than 700 deployed delivery
vehicles, and to 800 deployed and nondeployed strategic launchers;
Whereas New START has permitted robust and strict transparency and verification
measures and onsite inspections, which have provided valuable insight
into Russia's nuclear arsenal;
Whereas the United States has decades of bipartisan leadership in nuclear arms
control, including cooperation with the Soviet Union and the Russian
Federation even when relations were strained;
Whereas, in June 2023, the United States Government announced it is now ready to
engage in a dialogue with the Russian Federation on a post-2026 nuclear
arms control framework and is ``prepared to stick to the central limits
as long as Russia does'' while also stating a ``willingness to engage in
bilateral arms control discussions'' with the Russian Federation and the
People's Republic of China ``without preconditions'';
Whereas the nuclear weapon states recognized by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), including the Russian Federation, the United States, as
well as the People's Republic of China, have an obligation to ``pursue
negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation
of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament'';
Whereas, in November 2023, senior United States and Chinese officials held ``a
candid and in-depth discussion on issues related to arms control and
nonproliferation as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of
communication and responsibly manage the U.S.-PRC relationship''; and
Whereas the absence of a new framework for nuclear arms control after the
expiration of New START would affect strategic stability and increase
the risk of an unrestrained nuclear arms race with the Russian
Federation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns in the strongest terms the Russian
Federation's nuclear escalatory rhetoric and veiled threats on
the potential use of nuclear weapons to further its invasion
and aggression against a free and independent Ukraine;
(2) condemns the Russian Federation's purported suspension
of its participation in the New START Treaty;
(3) calls for immediate cessation of nuclear saber-rattling
and nuclear escalatory rhetoric from the Russian Federation;
(4) emphasizes the continued value of arms control
agreements between the United States and the Russian
Federation;
(5) calls for the Russian Federation to promptly return to
full implementation of New START, including onsite inspections,
provision of treaty-mandated notifications and data, and
resumption of Bilateral Consultative Commission meetings;
(6) calls on the Biden administration to continue to engage
the People's Republic of China in further bilateral talks on
nuclear risk reduction and arms control, and to pursue new
multilateral arms control efforts involving the five permanent
members of the United Nations Security Council; and
(7) calls on the Biden administration to continue to pursue
nuclear arms control and risk reduction dialogue with the
Russian Federation to maintain strategic stability, ensure the
conflict in Ukraine does not escalate to nuclear use, and avoid
an unrestrained nuclear arms race.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Submitted in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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