NEWARK – Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement following reports of a potential short-term arms control agreement between the United States and Russia: 
“If the reports are correct, I welcome the news that the Trump administration has adopted Democrat’s position on strategic arms control.
 “As we have repeatedly told President Trump for years, it is in the national interest of the United States to extend the New START treaty as we continue dialogue with both Russia and China on key nuclear issues such as limitations on non-strategic weapons and the inclusion in arms control agreements of new nuclear delivery systems.  Unfortunately, the Administration’s decision, while welcomed, is only a temporary Band-Aid which fails to resolve the critical arms control issues facing our nation today.  The real impact of a freeze on the total number of nuclear warheads will be unclear unless the Trump administration can ensure Russia sticks to the agreement’s terms through robust verification mechanisms.” 
 
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