This House resolution urges the President to lead international efforts to move the world away from the risk of nuclear war and to halt and reverse a global nuclear arms race. The resolution explains that more than 50,000 nuclear warheads have been dismantled since the Cold War but about 12,000 nuclear weapons still exist, and that the United States and Russia hold about 95 percent of those weapons. It cites treaty obligations, scientific studies that warn even small nuclear exchanges could cause global climate disruption and famine, and the danger of technical errors and past near-misses. The resolution says recent events, including Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and other international tensions, have increased the risk of nuclear use. It notes existing U.S. policies that permit first use of nuclear weapons and a high-alert launch posture.
The resolution calls on the President to: pursue a world free of nuclear weapons; negotiate in good faith with other nuclear-armed states to halt buildup and seek verifiable reductions; seek agreements with Russia and engage China on risk reduction; have all nuclear states renounce first use; add checks and balances on the President's sole authority to order nuclear weapons; end the high-alert "hair-trigger" launch posture; stop plans to produce and deploy new warheads and delivery systems; keep the global moratorium on explosive nuclear testing; remediate environmental contamination and expand health care and compensation for affected people; and plan a just economic transition for workers and communities tied to nuclear weapons work.
The House is asking the President to take many specific steps on arms control, nuclear posture, testing, environmental cleanup, and worker and community support. The resolution lists actions that could affect military planning, international negotiations, and programs for people harmed by nuclear weapons activities. No publicly available information on whether or how these requests would change laws or create new programs or budgets is included in the text.
The resolution cites Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates about nuclear force modernization in existing documents: CBO estimated $756,000,000,000 over 2023–2032 for current plans, which the resolution says was $122,000,000,000 more than a prior estimate. The resolution also cites an earlier (October 2017) CBO estimate that the Nuclear Modernization Plan would cost more than $1,200,000,000,000 over 30 years (not adjusted for inflation). No publicly available information in the text gives cost estimates for implementing the specific actions the resolution calls for, such as remediation, expanded compensation, or a just economic transition.
Supporters argue the resolution responds to a serious and ongoing danger: thousands of nuclear weapons remain, and their use could cause massive deaths, climate disruption, and famine. The text says the United States and Russia have special responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that mutual, verifiable arms control is the most effective path to reduce nuclear risks. The resolution also cites the high cost of modernizing arsenals and points to recent events and tensions (including the 2022 invasion of Ukraine) as reasons to urgently pursue new arms control, reduce launch alert status, stop building new warheads, maintain the testing moratorium, address environmental harms, and plan economic transitions for affected workers and communities.
No publicly available information.