Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern (MA-02) and Jill Tokuda (HI-02) reintroduced a House resolution urging the United States to return to the negotiating table on nuclear disarmament and to lead a global effort to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons. The resolution, H. Res. 317, reaffirms the United States’ moral and strategic obligation to prevent nuclear war and calls on the United States to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons as a national security imperative.
“Nuclear weapons do not make us safer—they put the entire planet at risk,” said Congressman McGovern. “We are closer to nuclear catastrophe today than at any point since the Cold War. We need bold action to stop a new arms race before it’s too late. This resolution is a call for courage, diplomacy, and common sense.”
“As a Japanese American, my heritage is deeply tied to the devastating impact of nuclear weapons and the atrocities of war. This resolution is about our moral imperative to achieve nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. It is not only a call for peace, but a commitment to ensuring that such tragedies are never repeated. This resolution represents a vital step toward a safer, more just world,” said Congresswoman Tokuda.
The resolution urges the United States to:
- Engage in good-faith negotiations with all nuclear-armed states to halt the buildup of nuclear arsenals and pursue verifiable, time-bound reductions;
- Conclude new arms control agreements with Russia and engage China on nuclear risk reduction;
- Renounce the option of using nuclear weapons first;
- End the Cold War-era “hair trigger alert” posture;
- Rein in the production of new nuclear warheads and delivery systems;
- Preserve the moratorium on nuclear testing;
- Protect radiation-impacted communities and workers through full remediation, compensation, and expanded health care, including an expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA); and
- Plan a just economic transition for workers and communities dependent on the nuclear weapons industry.
The renewed push comes amid growing concerns over a global nuclear arms race, the collapse of key arms control treaties, and rising tensions between major powers. Since the United States and Russia withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, many fear that hard-won progress on arms control is unraveling. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the United States is projected to spend over $750 billion on nuclear weapons over the next decade—diverting critical resources away from health care, education, climate resilience, and more pressing national security needs. The resolution has received massive public support from across the country.
“At a time of increased tensions around the world, we cannot risk letting nuclear threats increase. That is why Council for a Livable World supports Congressman McGovern’s H. Res. 317 to lower nuclear risks and promote diplomacy to work toward a world free from nuclear threats. We urge Members to support this legislation and all efforts to reduce nuclear tensions in favor of foreign and national security that will address the issues we face rather than bring us to the precipice of confrontation and waste billions of taxpayer dollars in the process,” said John Tierney, Executive Director of the Council for a Livable World.
“Through the years, Americans have successfully pressed our leaders to pursue nuclear arms control in order to reduce the nuclear threat. But now, eighty years after the first use of nuclear weapons, the danger of nuclear war and nuclear arms racing is on the rise once again. This timely resolution outlines a practical plan for action to restore U.S. leadership to lead the world back from the nuclear brink and build a safer world for our children and generations to come,” said Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association.
“The McGovern-Tokuda resolution is more than a statement—it’s a detailed, actionable roadmap to nuclear disarmament. It provides a clear strategy for reducing nuclear risks, ending outdated policies, championing justice for impacted communities, and advancing a future free from the threat of nuclear war,” said Denise Duffield, Co-Manager of the Back from the Brink Coalition
“I fully support House Resolution 317. From the beginning of the first arms race, the U.S. and Russia rejected minimal deterrence in favor of nuclear war fighting capabilities even though there are no winners in a nuclear war. Now that we are in a second arms race, the two nuclear superpowers should demonstrate global leadership by honoring the disarmament obligations they promised to in the 1970 Nonproliferation Treaty. H. Res. 317is an important step in that direction. I strongly urge the New Mexican congressional delegation to support it as well,” said the Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe.
“The United Methodist Church has long called for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The existence of nuclear weapons is antithetical to our faith, which calls on us to practice responsible stewardship. This resolution is a moral imperative, urging us to prioritize peace and the well-being of our communities over weapons of war,” said Bishop Julius Trimble, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church.
“Nuclear weapons are one of the greatest risks humanity faces. They endanger every person’s health, every nation’s security, and the very survival of our planet. As an organization of healthcare professionals, we know there is no cure for the devastation caused by these weapons. That’s why Physicians for Social Responsibility supports this resolution that seeks to prevent nuclear war and abolish nuclear weapons,” said Brian Campbell, PhD, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility
A full list of supportive statements is available here
“Either we end nuclear weapons—or they will end us,” McGovern added. “This is not just a policy debate. It’s a question of existence.”
The full text of the resolution can be found here.