Risk of Conflict with Nuclear Weapons

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. That is right, Mr. Speaker. There is a lack of urgency, and we need to move with urgency because a nuclear war cannot be won and would have catastrophic human consequences.

One warhead--one--has the power to wipe out an entire city. A full- scale nuclear war would devastate life as we know it.

Mr. Speaker, 80 years ago, the horrific U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused unimaginable death and immense human suffering, and survivors to this day face long-term health issues and radiation poisoning.

So 80 years after these atrocities, we must, as a Chamber, recommit our efforts to finally achieving the complete and total abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide. We must ensure these war crimes are never repeated anywhere.

Nuclear weapons are tools of death and destruction. They cannot be used without disastrous consequences that violate international law and our shared humanity.

The White House and Congress need to immediately work to negotiate new constraints to cap and reduce nuclear arsenals, especially with Russia and China. We must do everything in our power to prevent an unrestrained nuclear arms race.

It is absolutely terrifying that in the United States the President has the power to unilaterally decide to launch a nuclear weapon.

Think about that for one moment, Mr. Speaker. The use of just a fraction of the nuclear weapons we possess, most of which are ready to launch within minutes of an order from any President, including the current one, would lead to mass destruction of unprecedented global scale.

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle should back commonsense efforts to prioritize nuclear disarmament and adopt measures to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

We must continue to work toward international agreements, Mr. Speaker, with all nine countries that possess nuclear weapons through comprehensive nuclear test ban treaties, as well as the treaty on prohibiting a nuclear weapon.

Again, we must come together. I cannot say this enough: The devastation and the consequences of any nuclear launch could be, again, life-changing around the world. We must continue to strive for a world free from the threat of nuclear war.

I cannot thank enough my colleague, Mr. McGovern, as he commits to banning nuclear weapons and, again, tries to save us from any kind of life-changing devastation to our world.

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