Norton Files Nuclear Disarmament Bill to Implement D.C. Ballot Initiative

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill that would require the United States to disable and dismantle its nuclear weapons when all other nations possessing nuclear weapons enact laws to do the same. The bill calls for using nuclear weapons resources instead for growing human and infrastructure needs such as healthcare, housing, Social Security and the environment. The Congresswoman has been introducing this bill, "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" (NDECA), since 1994, after working with the residents who were responsible for a ballot initiative on this subject, passed by D.C. voters in 1993.

"I will introduce the NDECA preceding the March 20th memorial service for William Thomas, who sat in front of the White House in an anti-nuclear vigil for nearly 28 years," Norton said. "His efforts have been called the longest uninterrupted war protest in U.S. history. William truly devoted his life to the goals of this bill."

The Congresswoman notes that, rather than nuclear disarmament, nations have increased the nuclear arms race. Iran has failed to halt uranium enrichment, China has grown its nuclear weaponry, and today North Korea continues testing long-range missiles and has likely also acquired a nuclear device. India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, continue to fight over the Kashmir region, with recent terrorist strikes in India. Importantly, she notes, the invasion of Iraq has cost the United States much of its leadership on nonnuclear-proliferation. The U.S. moved in the right direction, she says, when the Senate ratified the Moscow Treaty in 2003, which provides that by 2012 both the U.S. and Russia will reduce their long-range warheads by two-thirds from approximately 6,000 warheads each to 2,200. The Congresswoman said, "The Bush Administration failed to build on this effort, and we must make up for lost ground."

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