,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #abbb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #af1 #bjbj,mr4 ,beyer submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,reaffirming the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that the ,united ,states must lead the world in preventing further nuclear proliferation1 while also reducing and eventually eliminating all nuclear weapons4 ,whereas1 in the #aihd ,state of the ,union ,address1 ,president ,reagan said1 ,a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought2 ,whereas the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons has been a bedrock principle of ,united ,states foreign policy since #aide2 ,whereas the ,treaty on the ,non-,proliferation of ,nuclear ,weapons was ratified by the ,united ,states in #aifh1 and extended indefinitely in #aiie1 and depends upon the full implementation by all ,states ,parties of three mutually reinforcing pillars3 nonproliferation1 access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy under safeguards1 and disarmament2 ,whereas the ,united ,states maintains a safe1 secure1 and effective nuclear deterrent to provide for the national defense of the ,united ,states and to bolster the security of the allies of the ,united ,states1 while also pursuing a number of arms control1 disarmament1 and nonproliferation agreements designed to end dangerous nuclear competition and the spread of nuclear weapons-related technologies and to ensure strategic stability1 reduce nuclear risks1 and protect the ,united ,states homeland and allies of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,united ,states is now at risk of losing all the agreements that have underpinned strategic stability and nuclear risk reduction2 ,whereas the ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,union of ,soviet ,socialist ,republics on the ,elimination of ,their ,intermediate-,range and ,shorter-,range ,missiles 7in this resolution referred to as the ,,inf ,treaty7 successfully led to the total ban on the possession1 production1 and flight-testing of land-based nuclear and conventional ballistic missiles1 cruise missiles1 and missile launchers with ranges of #ejj kilometers to #e1ejj kilometers2 ,whereas1 as a result of the ,,inf ,treaty1 the ,united ,states and the ,soviet ,union destroyed a total of #b1fib short-1 medium-1 and intermediate-range missiles by the treaty's implementation deadline of ,june #a1 #aiia2 ,whereas the ,united ,states formally withdrew from the ,,inf ,treaty on ,august #b1 #bjai1 with no plan to avert a new and destabilizing intermediate-range missile arms race2 ,whereas the ,treaty on ,open ,skies1 signed in #aiib and in effect since #bjjb1 is a vital instrument of confidence-building and verification for the ,united ,states and the allies of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,treaty on ,open ,skies has permitted unarmed surveillance flights over the territories of #cd countries1 including ,russia1 with the purpose of enhancing mutual understanding of the military forces and activities of concern to them2 ,whereas1 on ,may #bb1 #bjbj1 the ,president announced his intent to withdraw from the ,treaty on ,open ,skies in six months due to continued concerns over compliance with the ,treaty's provisions by ,russia2 ,whereas this announcement did not comply with section #abcd of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-ib2 #acc ,stat4 #afdh2 #bb ,u4,s4,c4 #beic;a note7 that requires the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,secretary of ,state to notify ,congress at least #abj days before a formal notice is sent to treaty depositories about an intent to leave the ,treaty on ,open ,skies1 and was made despite objections expressed by ,united ,states allies2 ,whereas the ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,russian ,federation on ,measures for the ,further ,reduction and ,limitation of ,strategic ,offensive ,arms 7in this resolution referred to as the ,new ,,start ,treaty7 entered into force on ,february #e1 #bjaa1 and is scheduled to expire on ,february #e1 #bjba1 unless the ,united ,states and ,russia agree to extend the ,treaty by a period of up to five years2 ,whereas the ,new ,,start ,treaty has strengthened the nuclear security and strategic stability of the ,united ,states by reducing the number of strategic systems in ,russia's nuclear arsenal and providing the ,united ,states with the inspection and monitoring tools necessary to confidently verify ,russian compliance with the ,treaty2 ,whereas maintaining legally binding1 verifiable limits on ,russian strategic nuclear forces is in the national security interest of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,department of ,state has repeatedly verified that ,russia is in full compliance with the ,new ,,start ,treaty1 including most recently in the ,june #bjbj report to ,congress on ,adherence to and ,compliance with ,arms ,control1 ,nonproliferation1 and ,disarmament ,agreements and ,commitments2 ,whereas the ,new ,,start ,treaty has not and does not restrict the nuclear modernization programs of the ,united ,states nor limit the missile defense efforts of the ,united ,states1 and the ,united ,states continues to assure allies of guarantees by the ,united ,states to their security2 ,whereas if the ,new ,,start ,treaty is allowed to expire1 the ,united ,states will be faced with an unconstrained ,russian nuclear arsenal for the first time since #aigb1 and the ,united ,states will be discarding decades of progress to maintain nuclear deterrence at a much lower level of strategic nuclear arsenals1 from which the ,united ,states1 ,,nato1 and other allies have all benefitted2 ,whereas a perceived retreat by the ,united ,states from arms control and international affairs more broadly has caused allies and partners across the globe to doubt the ,united ,states commitment to meet its own nuclear disarmament obligations under the ,treaty on the ,non-,proliferation of ,nuclear ,weapons1 which could compromise ,united ,states efforts to strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation system2 ,whereas ,congress has historically taken a bipartisan approach to arms control initiatives1 including the bipartisan vote of #ga-bf in the ,senate to provide its advice and consent to the ratification of the ,new ,,start ,treaty on ,december #bb1 #bjaj1 demonstrating that ,congress can be a close partner with the executive branch in the shaping of the arms control policies of the ,united ,states2 and ,whereas there are bipartisan bills in ,congress to urge an extension of the ,new ,,start ,treaty1 the last remaining treaty constraining the world's two largest nuclear arsenals1 and former officials who served under ,republican and ,democratic administrations1 military leaders1 and nuclear policy experts agree that the ,treaty should be extended3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reaffirms that effective arms control treaties1 and other confidence-building and verification agreements1 that successfully limit and reduce nuclear weapons and curb nuclear competition are important tools that strengthen the security of the ,united ,states and international security2 7#b7 strongly supports a sustained and intensive dialogue with ,russia and ,china to reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons1 and underscores that effective arms control has always been an area of crucial and necessary dialogue1 even during the lowest points in bilateral and multilateral relations2 7#c7 recognizes that the ,united ,states and ,russia1 which possess more than #ij percent of the world's #ac1jjj nuclear weapons1 have a special responsibility to reduce the nuclear danger1 and are committed to do so under the ,treaty on the ,non-,proliferation of ,nuclear ,weapons2 7#d7 calls on the ,president to extend the ,new ,,start ,treaty for five years without further delay to give the ,united ,states1 in consultation with allies1 the time and space needed to pursue a broader1 more comprehensive arms control agenda with ,russia and ,china that addresses all types of nuclear weapons and emerging technologies that can affect strategic stability2 and 7#e7 calls on the current administration to immediately withdraw its declared intent to leave the ,treaty on ,open ,skies1 which allies1 partners1 and arms control experts all agree is a vital instrument of confidence-building and verification for the ,united ,states and its objectives for promoting international security and strategic stability4