U.S. and Russia Extension of Nuclear Weapons Treaty Makes Everyone Safer; What About the Exploding Nuclear Weapons Budget?

In response to the Biden-Harris administration and Russia's official extension of the New START treaty by five years today, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, which helped assure Senate ratification, released the following statement:

"After the Trump administration failed in the art of the deal with Russia and days before the treaty expired, the Biden-Harris administration and Russia extended the New START treaty by five years making us all safer. The important treaty caps the number of deployed nuclear weapons between the two countries which possess the largest stockpiles.

"The United States' announcement to continue negotiations with Russia and China on nuclear and other weapons is necessary to move towards to world without nuclear weapons which the vast majority of countries want illegal as evidenced through the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.

"The Biden-Harris administration's expected budget in the coming months must reduce Trump's skyrocketing nuclear weapons spending with plans to escalate dangerous, land-based missiles at tax-payer costs that could fund several Departments of State."