Shaheen Applauds Senate Committee's Approval of New START

Statement

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the below statement following the Committee's approval of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia by a vote of 14-4, which will now move to the Senate floor. The Treaty will require reductions in U.S. and Russian strategic offensive nuclear weapons and strengthen U.S. goals to promote nuclear non-proliferation:

"I am very encouraged by the steps the Committee took today in favor of the New START Treaty," said Shaheen. "The Treaty will strengthen our national security by reducing the number of nuclear weapons aimed at our homeland, preserving a strong and robust deterrent force to protect the U.S. and its allies, and restoring crucial verification measures to track Russia's nuclear stockpile that were lost when the START Treaty expired last year."

"New START also represents a significant step forward in building international support to curb the threat of nuclear terrorism. We need to do what we can to keep nuclear materials and weapons out of the wrong hands and increase pressure on rogue regimes such as Iran to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons. This treaty helps to fulfill America's nonproliferation obligations and increases our leverage in holding other countries accountable to meet their own commitments."

"We have now gone more than 280 days without critical intelligence we receive from an on-site verification and monitoring presence in Russia. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to approve the Treaty on the Senate floor as soon as possible."

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