The Increasing Threat of Nuclear Weapons

Floor Speech

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Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman McGovern for holding this Special Order hour to discuss the very real threat nuclear weapons represent to our shared safety and our peace.

Mr. Speaker, it has been almost 80 years since the beginning of the nuclear age. Given where we are at this precise moment, the risks posed by nuclear weapons feels real, it feels present, and it feels tangible.

Despite warnings from advocates and the United Nations, the threat of nuclear escalation is on the rise. In fact, our Nation's leadership has played an important role in either mitigating or escalating this dangerous reality. What we do and how we lead and what we say to the world will continue to be a crucial factor in the nuclear arms race and war in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I am tired of saying it, but words matter, and I quote: ``Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.'' That was the incoming President's answer to the question of a possible nuclear war back in 2016.

We know that, as our Nation and other States agreed in a 2022 declaration, nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Despite the claims of warmongers, including our President-elect and the military industrial complex, nuclear weapons are not defensive or an effective strategy for deterrence.

The bottom line is nuclear weapons are tools of war, death, and mass destruction. They can't be used without catastrophic humanitarian consequences that violate every single principle of international law and our shared humanity. We are headed in the wrong direction with a trigger-happy President about to take office.

Will he renew the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty?

Will he ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?

Will he decrease spending on nuclear weapons or decommission our already massive nuclear arsenal?

Of course not.

When we invest in nuclear proliferation, I want us to remember that we could be providing assistance in our communities. We could be supporting the education of our children. We could be transforming our infrastructure and delivering nutritious meals to families. We could be assisting first-time home buyers. We could be building a quality healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, I can go on and on, and Congressman McGovern would need another five Special Order hours, but what I am saying is that these are life-giving investments in people. Nuclear weapons only bring total annihilation. We must pursue another path forward. We have to pursue a path toward peace, and we can do that together.

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