WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ahead of the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on Thursday, February 5th, the last nuclear weapons treaty between the U.S. and Russia, Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) published an articlein Harvard Law School's Journal on Legislation titled "How Congress Can Stop Worrying and Learn to Govern the Bomb: A New Era of Congressional Responsibilities in Nuclear Weapons Policy," calling for Congress to reclaim its responsibility for nuclear strategy.

If New START expires, the United States and Russia will no longer have a legally binding limit on the deployment of their strategic nuclear forces for the first time in over fifty years. As the threat of a new arms race continues to grow, nuclear modernization programs continue to spiral in costs, and hawkish voices are calling for a resumption of nuclear testing. Congress must reassert its oversight authority over nuclear weapons policy to challenge the dangerous nuclear status quo.

"For too long, Congress has ceded its constitutional authority to govern nuclear weapons to the Executive Branch. As a result, nuclear weapons treaties are crumbling, nuclear weapons programs' costs spiral out of control, and the chances of nuclear war have skyrocketed in recent years. It's high time Congress pulls up a seat at the table," said Congressman Garamendi. "This article serves to make that case to all my colleagues in Washington who care about endless spending of taxpayer dollars and the rising risks of nuclear war around the world."

In his article, Congressman Garamendi argues that Congress must reassert its constitutional powers over nuclear weapons oversight and play a more active role in shaping nuclear policy. Below is an excerpt from Congressman Garamendi's article:

"In recent years, Congress has adopted a permissive posture toward nuclear expansion and continued projects despite significant cost growth and timeline overruns. Recently, Congress has tellingly neglected to hold public hearings on major failures and declined to press defense leaders on underlying assumptions about the role of nuclear weapons in national strategy. [...]

"Although Congress has tools to influence nuclear strategy and oversee the development and employment of America's nuclear arsenal, in recent years, Congress has failed to use them effectively. For example, a recent Strategic Posture Review was conducted by a bipartisan congressional commission but failed to evaluate the key constraint at the core of congressional responsibilities: cost. [...]

"Congress's approach reflects an increasing deference to military leadership and acceptance of military theories on how weapons could or should be used. It indicates a return to a reliance on the "nuclear priesthood" of past years, rather than on Congress's own assessment of how to balance the costs and risks of nuclear weapons."

Garamendi has been a longtime leader on nuclear issues throughout his career. For decades, the Congressman has written and spoken extensively on nuclear weapons and deterrence, proposing sensible legislation to reduce costs and risks to nuclear programs. This year, he included a reporton the escalation dynamics of integrating artificial intelligence in nuclear decision-making in the NDAA conference report.

Congressman Garamendi is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and a co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group in Congress. In these roles, the Congressman has spoken forcefully for the elevation of congressional dialogue on nuclear weapons.

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