III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 611 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation 

of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable contribution 

to the United States and international security, and recognizing that 

the United States will seek a successful Ninth Review Conference of 

the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 3, 2022 

Mr. MENENDEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the Treaty on the 

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues 

to make an invaluable contribution to the United States 

and international security, and recognizing that the 

United States will seek a successful Ninth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 

Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

Weapons (NPT) opened for signature 53 years ago on 

July 1, 1968, and entered into force in 1970; 

Whereas the NPT is a cornerstone of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime and has grown to include 191 States 

Parties; 


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Whereas the United States remains committed to upholding 

the three pillars of the NPT, which include— 

(1) non-proliferation; 

(2) disarmament; and 

(3) the peaceful use of nuclear energy; 

Whereas Article III of the NPT obligates each nonnuclear 

weapon state to the NPT to conclude a Safeguards 

Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency 

(IAEA) to verify treaty compliance, 174 of which are 

Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements crafted to detect 

the diversion of nuclear materials from peaceful to nonpeaceful uses; 

Whereas the IAEA strengthens the global nuclear and security framework and helps promote international nuclear 

cooperation, and IAEA safeguards are a requirement for 

United States bilateral nuclear cooperation; 

Whereas the United States was the first country to conclude 

a safeguards agreement with the IAEA; 

Whereas the 2018 Department of Defense Nuclear Posture 

Review affirms, ‘‘The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 

(NPT) is a cornerstone of the nuclear nonproliferation 

regime. It plays a positive role in building consensus for 

non-proliferation and enhances international efforts to 

impose costs on those that would pursue nuclear weapons 

outside the Treaty.’’; 

Whereas the success of the NPT has and will continue to depend upon the full implementation by all States Parties 

of the NPT’s three mutually reinforcing pillars; 

Whereas, over the past half century, the United States has 

exhibited leadership in strengthening each of the NPT’s 

three pillars for the global good, including— 


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(1) reducing its nuclear weapons stockpile by 88 

percent from its maximum in 1967 of 31,225 in parallel 

with equally massive reductions of the Russian Federation’s stockpile through bilateral coordination; 

(2) cooperating with former Soviet States to facilitate the surrender of nuclear weapons on their soil after 

the fall of the Soviet Union; 

(3) providing voluntary contributions to the IAEA to 

promote peaceful nuclear activities exceeding 

$378,000,000 since 2010, including activities that help in 

the treatment of cancer and other life-saving applications; 

and 

(4) extending deterrence to United States allies in 

the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Japan, 

the Republic of Korea, and Australia, which is an unmistakable demonstration of the United States commitment 

to collective security; 

Whereas the United States calls on the Islamic Republic of 

Iran to comply with its obligations under the NPT, which 

it ratified in 1970, abide by its 1974 comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and fully and permanently implement the Additional Protocol to its IAEA 

safeguards agreement in refraining to obtain or produce 

nuclear weapons; 

Whereas heightened geopolitical tensions in recent years have 

made cooperation on nonproliferation and arms control 

issues with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China more challenging; 

Whereas recent harmful actions by the Government of the 

Russian Federation have led to a further a deterioration 

in bilateral relations with the United States, including 

Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea, its 2014 invasion 


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of Eastern Ukraine, and its 2022 invasion into all of 

Ukraine, its brazen interference in the 2016 and 2020 

United States presidential elections, its violation of 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, 

signed at Washington December 8, 1987, and entered 

into force June 1, 1988 (commonly referred to as the 

‘‘INF Treaty’’), its use of chemical nerve agents in assassination attempts in the United Kingdom and against 

Aleksei A. Navalny, and its destabilizing actions in Syria; 

Whereas concerning actions by the People’s Republic of 

China have also strained bilateral relations with the 

United States, including a sustained build-up of nuclear 

forces, threatening military activities toward Taiwan, and 

the transfer by Chinese entities of proliferation and missile technology transfers to States such as the Islamic 

Republic of Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Pakistan; 

Whereas, despite these challenges, the United States remains 

committed to a stable strategic relationship with the Governments of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China and especially in the field of nonproliferation and arms control; 

Whereas United States efforts to reduce dangers associated 

with nuclear arsenals through ambitious arms control 

agreements with both the Russian Federation and the 

People’s Republic of China would advance United States 

and global security, adding to the benefits of stability and 

transparency provided by existing agreements; 

Whereas President Joseph R. Biden’s decision to extend the 

New START Treaty between the United States and the 

Russian Federation for five years places verifiable legally 


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binding limits on Russian ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy 

bombers until February 5, 2026; 

Whereas the Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) continues to be the appropriate forum for the Parties to engage constructively on any New START Treaty implementation issues that arise; 

Whereas the Ninth Review Conference of the States Parties 

to the NPT will take place in August of 2022 in New 

York, having been rescheduled due to restrictions brought 

on by the COVID–19 pandemic; and 

Whereas the Ninth Review Conference presents an opportunity to refocus States Parties to the Treaty on the 

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on the danger that 

the spread of nuclear weapons poses, to discuss potential 

ways to deal with countries that continue to pose a nuclear security threat, and to find common solutions so as 

to further reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the 

world and enable increased use of nuclear energy while 

improving safeguards to ensure that illicit nuclear programs are not occurring: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of Congress that— 

2 (1) the United States should continue to en3 courage all States Parties to the Treaty on the Non4 Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to comply 

5 fully with the terms and the spirit of the Treaty; 

6 (2) the United States should— 

7 (A) maintain support for the IAEA 

8 through its assessed and voluntary contribu9 tions and seek to pay its dues at the beginning 


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1 of the IAEA’s fiscal year and through advo2 cating for all countries to enter into the Addi3 tional Protocols with the IAEA; 

4 (B) pursue a verifiable and comprehensive 

5 arms control agreement with the Russian Fed6 eration and the People’s Republic of China to 

7 capture strategic and nonstrategic nuclear 

8 weapons capabilities, which would enhance 

9 United States and global security by building 

10 upon other treaties, agreements, and trans11 parency measures that reduce nuclear risk; 

12 (C) continue to encourage opportunities 

13 with other nuclear weapon-possessing States to 

14 reduce the reliance upon, role, and number of 

15 nuclear weapons in their national military strat16 egies; and 

17 (D) advance critical United States security 

18 partnerships like the one among Australia, the 

19 United Kingdom, and the United States (com20 monly known as ‘‘AUKUS’’) consistent with 

21 IAEA safeguards, to provide Australia with 

22 naval nuclear propulsion technology to better 

23 deter against military aggression in the Indo24 Pacific; and 


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1 (3) the President is encouraged to work with 

2 other States Parties to the NPT to strengthen com3 pliance and enforcement mechanisms and develop 

4 collective responses in the United Nations Security 

5 Council and in any other relevant multilateral fora 

6 to any notification of withdrawal from the Treaty. 

Æ 


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