WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator
Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), incoming Chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the Biden
administration’s effort to better protect our nation’s arms control
architecture by seeking a five year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (New START), a rigorous post-Cold War nuclear arms control agreement
designed to ensure limits on Russia’s nuclear arsenal:
“I’m very pleased to hear
the Biden administration is rapidly moving toward a five year extension of the
New START treaty. New START is critical for U.S. national security. It
constrains Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, provides strong and detailed
verification measures to ensure Russia adheres to its commitments, and ensures
the United States has the flexibility it needs to maintain a safe, secure,
modern, and effective nuclear deterrent.
“This is an excellent
first step in the Biden administration’s efforts to restore arms control as a
critical tool for protecting the American people. I look forward to future
efforts that seek to limit non-strategic nuclear weapons, which threaten our
allies and new arms control initiatives that include China.
In addition, the Biden
administration must confront a revanchist Russia that continues to threaten the
United States and our allies. I expect a strong response from the
administration to address the recent SolarWinds cyberattack, Kremlin attacks on
our election process, and its brutal efforts to silence and murder political
opposition.
“Finally, unlike the
previous administration, I appreciate that the Biden team consulted with the
Committee about this vital arms control
decision.”
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