Title: Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable contribution to United States and international security, and noting former Senator Richard G. Lugar's indispensable contributions to international security and reducing nuclear weapons-related risks.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This concurrent resolution (1) specifies that the United States should encourage all parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to comply with it fully, (2) encourages the United States to engage with Russia on strategic stability issues and other arms control and nonproliferation issues, and (3) condemns Russia's nonadherence to its treaty obligations regarding intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 38 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 38

    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable 
 contribution to United States and international security, and noting 
   former Senator Richard G. Lugar's indispensable contributions to 
   international security and reducing nuclear weapons-related risks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2019

 Mr. Sherman (for himself, Mr. Banks, Mr. Foster, Mr. Fortenberry, Mr. 
    Lujan, and Mr. Fleischmann) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable 
 contribution to United States and international security, and noting 
   former Senator Richard G. Lugar's indispensable contributions to 
   international security and reducing nuclear weapons-related risks.

Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) opened for 
        signature 50 years ago on July 1, 1968;
Whereas the United States and the former Soviet Union averted a catastrophic 
        nuclear exchange during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which led 
        to a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements to lessen the 
        chance of nuclear war, including the NPT;
Whereas President John F. Kennedy predicted in 1963 that as many as 25 countries 
        would acquire nuclear weapons by 1970 absent a treaty to control nuclear 
        weapons;
Whereas the United States Senate provided its advice and consent to the NPT on 
        March 13, 1969, with a vote on ratification of 83 to 15;
Whereas the NPT has grown to include 191 State Parties, making an irreplaceable 
        contribution to international security by preventing the spread of 
        nuclear weapons;
Whereas former Senator Richard G. Lugar made indispensable contributions to 
        reducing nuclear weapon risks, most notably through his leadership in 
        standing up the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (commonly referred 
        to as the ``Nunn-Lugar Program''), which eliminated 7,600 nuclear 
        weapons in the former Soviet Union;
Whereas Senator Lugar successfully secured Senate Advice and Consent for the 
        Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation 
        on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic 
        Offensive Arms, signed April 8, 2010, and entered into force February 5, 
        2011 (commonly known as the ``New START Treaty'');
Whereas Article III of the NPT obliges each non-nuclear weapon country that is a 
        party 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 non-peaceful uses;
Whereas the 2018 Department of Defense Nuclear Posture Review affirms, ``The 
        Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a cornerstone of the nuclear 
        non-proliferation 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 parties of the Treaty's three mutually reinforcing 
        pillars: non-proliferation, access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, 
        and disarmament;
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--

    (1) reducing its nuclear weapons stockpile by more than 85 percent from 
its Cold War heights of 31,225 in parallel with equally massive reductions 
of the Russian Federation's stockpile through bilateral coordination;

    (2) cooperating with Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus through the Nunn-
Lugar Act to facilitate the surrender of nuclear weapons on their soil 
after the fall of the Soviet Union--leading to each country's accession to 
the NPT as non-nuclear weapons states;

    (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, and the Republic of Korea--which is an 
unmistakable demonstration of the United States commitment to collective 
security;

Whereas heightened geopolitical tensions in recent years have made cooperation 
        on non-proliferation and arms control issues with the Russian Federation 
        more challenging;
Whereas a range of actions by the Government of the Russian Federation has led 
        to a deterioration in bilateral relations with the United States, 
        including--

    (1) Russia's brazen interference in the 2016 United States presidential 
elections;

    (2) 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 (commonly known as the ``INF 
Treaty''), signed at Washington, DC, December 8, 1987, and entered into 
force June 1, 1988;

    (3) its use of a chemical nerve agent in an assassination attempt 
against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the United Kingdom in 
March 2018;

    (4) its illegal annexation of Crimea;

    (5) its invasion of Eastern Ukraine; and

    (6) its destabilizing actions in Syria;

Whereas within a difficult environment, preserving agreements that continue to 
        contribute to United States and global security, particularly the New 
        START Treaty, is important, and the Department of State confirmed in 
        February 2018 that Russia had met New START's Central Treaty Limits and 
        stated that ``implementation of the New START Treaty enhances the safety 
        and security of the United States'';
Whereas United States efforts to reduce dangers associated with the nuclear 
        arsenals of both the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of 
        China, through an ambitious arms control agreement, would advance United 
        States and global security, adding to the benefits to stability and 
        transparency provided by existing agreements;
Whereas Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a March 2018 speech, unveiled 
        details of new kinds of strategic nuclear weapons under development that 
        may be accountable under the provisions of the New START Treaty, 
        including hypersonic nuclear weapons, nuclear-powered cruise missiles, 
        and multi-megaton nuclear torpedoes shot from drone submarines;
Whereas the Russian Federation erroneously claimed that the United States may 
        have not reached New START Treaty Central Limits by February 5, 2018, as 
        is mandated by the Treaty;
Whereas the Bilateral Consultative Commission is the appropriate forum for the 
        Parties to engage constructively on any New START Treaty implementation 
        issues that arise; and
Whereas the collapse of the INF Treaty and expiration of the New START Treaty 
        would lead to the absence of any binding, bilateral treaty or agreement 
        governing United States and Russian nuclear forces for the first time 
        since 1972: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should continue to encourage all 
        parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
        Weapons (NPT) to comply fully with the Treaty;
            (2) the United States should maintain support for the 
        International Atomic Energy Agency through its assessed and 
        voluntary contributions and promote the universal adoption of 
        the IAEA Additional Protocol;
            (3) the United States should--
                    (A) consider extending the Treaty between the 
                United States of America and the Russian Federation on 
                Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of 
                Strategic Offensive Arms, signed at Prague April 8, 
                2010, and entered into force February 5, 2011 (``New 
                START Treaty''), within the context of wider 
                enhancement of strategic stability between the United 
                States and the Russian Federation, provided that the 
                treaty continues to advance United States national 
                security;
                    (B) assess whether Russia's recently-announced 
                nuclear capabilities should be accountable under the 
                New START Treaty and raise the issue directly with 
                Russia;
                    (C) conclude an interagency process to consider an 
                extension of the New START Treaty and to engage with 
                Russia on the full range of strategic stability issues 
                and other arms control and non-proliferation issues;
                    (D) begin negotiations with Russia on an agreement 
                to address the massive disparity between the non-
                strategic nuclear weapons stockpiles of Russia and the 
                United States and to secure and reduce non-strategic 
                nuclear weapons in a verifiable manner; and
                    (E) consider the consequences of the New START 
                Treaty's expiration in 2021 in relation to the insights 
                it provides into the location, movement, and 
                disposition of current and future Russian strategic 
                systems;
            (4) the United States strongly condemns Russia's violations 
        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, and urges it to come back into full compliance prior to 
        August 2, 2019;
            (5) in responding to Russia's deployment of INF-range 
        systems, the United States should advocate for those defense 
        and deterrence steps which preserve the cohesion of the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization and are aimed at averting an arms 
        race on the European continent;
            (6) pursuit of a verifiable and comprehensive arms control 
        agreement with Russia and the People's Republic of China, which 
        may capture strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons 
        capabilities, would enhance United States and global security 
        by building upon other treaties, agreements, and transparency 
        measures to reduce nuclear risk; and
            (7) the United States should continue to encourage 
        opportunities for cooperation with other nuclear weapons-
        possessing countries to reduce the salience, number, and role 
        of nuclear weapons in their national military strategies.
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