# What This Resolution Actually Says About Nuclear Weapons

This is a resolution expressing the House of Representatives' opinion that the United States should pursue nuclear disarmament and adopt a new approach to nuclear weapons policy. It's important to understand that resolutions like this don't create laws or force action—they're statements of what Congress believes should happen. Think of it as a formal recommendation rather than a binding rule.

The resolution argues that nuclear weapons pose an extreme danger to humanity. It points out that while the U.S. and Russia have destroyed many nuclear weapons since the Cold War, about 14,500 still exist globally, mostly held by the U.S. and Russia. The resolution emphasizes that even a small nuclear conflict could cause worldwide famine and climate catastrophe affecting hundreds of millions of people. It also highlights that the U.S. is spending enormous amounts of money—potentially over $600 billion in the next decade—to modernize and upgrade its nuclear arsenal, money the resolution suggests could be used for other priorities.

The resolution calls on the President and other leaders to embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which 122 countries have already signed. Specifically, it asks the U.S. to negotiate new arms control agreements with Russia and China, stop the policy of potentially using nuclear weapons first in a conflict, remove the President's sole authority to launch nuclear weapons, take nuclear weapons off "hair-trigger alert" (meaning they wouldn't be ready to launch instantly), and cancel plans to build new, upgraded nuclear weapons. These are significant policy shifts that would represent a major change in how the U.S. approaches nuclear weapons strategy.

Embracing the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

McGovern, James P.

 <p>This resolution calls on the President to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of U.S. national security policy. It also calls on the United States to lead a global effort to move the world back from the nuclear brink and to prevent nuclear war. </p>