Title: New START Treaty Improvement Act of 2019
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
New START Treaty Improvement Act of 2019
This bill prohibits extending the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START treaty) or any successor agreement unless the agreement (1) includes and is signed by China, and (2) covers all Russian strategic and non-strategic nuclear forces.
(The New START treaty between the United States and Russia is set to expire in February 2021 but may be extended to February 2026.)

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2707 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2707

   To limit funding for any extension of the New START Treaty or any 
successor agreement unless the agreement includes the People's Republic 
 of China and covers all strategic and non-strategic nuclear forces of 
                        the Russian Federation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2019

  Ms. Cheney (for herself, Mr. Banks, Mr. Waltz, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. 
   Lamborn, and Mr. Turner) introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To limit funding for any extension of the New START Treaty or any 
successor agreement unless the agreement includes the People's Republic 
 of China and covers all strategic and non-strategic nuclear forces of 
                        the Russian Federation.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``New START Treaty Improvement Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United States and the Russian Federation signed the 
        New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (the ``New START Treaty'') 
        on April 8, 2010.
            (2) The United States Senate advised and consented to the 
        the treaty on December 22, 2010, by a vote of 71-26.
            (3) The Senate resolution advising and consenting to the 
        ratification of the New START Treaty states that ``prior to the 
        entry into force of the New START Treaty, the President shall 
        certify to the Senate that . . . the United States will seek to 
        initiate . . . not later than one year after the entry into 
        force of the New START Treaty, negotiations with the Russian 
        Federation on an agreement to address the disparity between the 
        non-strategic (tactical) nuclear weapons stockpiles of the 
        Russian Federation and of the United States''.
            (4) The New START Treaty is due to expire in February 2021.
            (5) The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review states--
                    (A) ``While the United States has continued to 
                reduce the number and salience of nuclear weapons, 
                others, including Russia and China, have moved in the 
                opposite direction. Russia has expanded and improved 
                its strategic and non-strategic nuclear forces. China's 
                military modernization has resulted in an expanded 
                nuclear force, with little to no transparency into its 
                intentions.'';
                    (B) ``Russia is developing and deploying new 
                nuclear warheads and launchers. These efforts include 
                multiple upgrades for every leg of the Russian nuclear 
                triad of strategic bombers, sea-based missiles, and 
                land-based missiles. Russia is also developing at least 
                two new intercontinental range systems, a hypersonic 
                glide vehicle, and a new intercontinental, nuclear-
                armed, nuclear-powered, undersea autonomous torpedo.'';
                    (C) ``[Russia] is also building a large, diverse, 
                and modern set of non-strategic systems that are dual-
                capable . . . These theater- and tactical-range systems 
                are not accountable under the New START Treaty'';
                    (D) ``China continues to increase the number, 
                capabilities, and protection of its nuclear forces.''; 
                and
                    (E) ``China has developed a new road-mobile 
                strategic intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a 
                new multi-warhead version of its DF5 silo-based ICBM, 
                and its most advanced ballistic missile submarine armed 
                with new submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). 
                It has also announced development of a new nuclear-
                capable strategic bomber, giving China a nuclear 
                triad.''.
            (6) On April 4, 2019, President Donald J. Trump stated, 
        ``Between Russia and China and us, we're all making hundreds of 
        billions of dollars worth of weapons, including nuclear, which 
        is ridiculous . . . and I would say that China will come along, 
        and I would say Russia will come along. It doesn't really make 
        sense that we're doing this.''.
            (7) In testimony before the Committee on Foreign Relations 
        of the Senate on April 10, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 
        stated, in response to a question about extending the New START 
        treaty, that ``we need to make sure that we've got all of the 
        parties that are relevant as a component of this as well''.
            (8) On March 16, 2019, National Security Advisor John 
        Bolton stated, ``China is building up its nuclear capacity now. 
        It's . . . one reason why if we're going to have another arms 
        control negotiation, for example, with the Russians, it may 
        make sense to include China in that discussion as well''.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) arms control is beneficial for both United States 
        national security and international stability, but the United 
        States should not enter arms control agreements that impose 
        unilateral restrictions on the United States Armed Forces and 
        fail to properly account for the nuclear arsenals of all near-
        peer competitors in the international system; and
            (2) any New START Treaty extension or successor agreement 
        must be a trilateral arrangement among the United States, the 
        Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China.

SEC. 4. WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS.

    No funds shall be expended to implement a New START Treaty 
extension or any successor agreement unless the New START Treaty or 
such successor agreement--
            (1) includes and is signed by the People's Republic of 
        China; and
            (2) covers all strategic and non-strategic nuclear forces 
        held by the Russian Federation, including--
                    (A) the RS-28 Sarmat (SS-X-30) intercontinental 
                ballistic missile system;
                    (B) the 9M730 Burevestnik (SSC-X-9) nuclear-powered 
                cruise missile system;
                    (C) the KH-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic 
                missile system;
                    (D) the Avangard hypersonic boost-glide vehicle 
                system; and
                    (E) the Status-6 (Kanyon) unmanned undersea 
                vehicle.
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