A resolution urging the United States to lead a global effort to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race.

Bill Number

S.Res. 323

Origin Chamber

Senate

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

International Affairs

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-07-16: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S4422)

Last Updated

2025-12-03T11:56:28Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

This Senate Resolution (S. Res. 323) urges the United States to take a leading role in international efforts to stop and reverse the global nuclear arms race. It emphasizes reducing nuclear weapons as a key national security goal to prevent nuclear war, highlighting risks from existing arsenals, potential accidents, and geopolitical tensions.

Key Provisions

The resolution is structured as a series of "Whereas" clauses providing context on nuclear risks, historical disarmament efforts, scientific warnings about nuclear war's consequences (e.g., global famine and climate disruption), and current policies. It then resolves that the Senate calls on the President to:

• Pursue a world without nuclear weapons as a national security priority.
• Lead global efforts to halt and reverse the arms race through specific actions, including:
• Negotiating with the eight other nuclear-armed countries (e.g., Russia, China) to stop arsenal buildups and achieve verifiable reductions or elimination on set timelines.
• Securing new arms control agreements with Russia to cap nuclear forces and engaging China on risk reduction.
• Encouraging all nuclear powers to renounce first use of nuclear weapons (i.e., promising not to use them unless attacked first).
• Adding checks on the President's sole authority to launch nuclear weapons.
• Ending the "hair-trigger alert" policy, which keeps weapons ready to launch quickly and risks accidental use.
• Halting development of new nuclear warheads and delivery systems (e.g., missiles) to save taxpayer money.
• Upholding the informal ban on nuclear explosive testing.
• Remediating environmental damage from past nuclear activities and expanding compensation for affected workers and communities under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (a law providing payments to those harmed by radiation from nuclear testing).
• Planning economic support for workers and communities reliant on nuclear weapons programs during a shift away from them.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

As a non-binding Senate resolution, this document does not amend or create new laws. It expresses the Senate's opinion and recommendations without legal force, but it references and builds on existing treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968), which requires good-faith negotiations for disarmament, and the New START Treaty (2010), set to expire in 2026. It critiques ongoing U.S. nuclear modernization plans but proposes no direct statutory changes.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Could pressure the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and State Department to prioritize diplomacy over new nuclear developments, potentially reducing budgets for modernization (estimated at over $1 trillion over 30 years) and redirecting funds to remediation or worker transitions.
• Citizens: Aims to lower risks of nuclear war, accidents, or environmental harm; may benefit affected communities (e.g., near testing sites) through better health care and compensation, while taxpayers could see savings from curbed programs.
• International Relations: Seeks to strengthen U.S. leadership in arms control, potentially easing tensions with Russia, China, and others, but might strain alliances if seen as weakening U.S. deterrence. It highlights flashpoints like Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula, promoting dialogue to prevent escalation.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• U.S. Government Officials: The President, as Commander-in-Chief, and agencies handling nuclear policy (e.g., Pentagon, intelligence community) would face calls for policy shifts.
• Nuclear-Armed Nations: Russia, China, and others (e.g., UK, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel) are directly targeted for negotiations.
• U.S. Workers and Communities: Civilian and military personnel in nuclear facilities, plus residents near contamination sites, who could gain from remediation, compensation, and job transition support.
• Global Public: Billions at risk from nuclear threats, including those in tense regions like Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
• Taxpayers and Advocacy Groups: Those funding nuclear programs or pushing for disarmament (e.g., arms control organizations).

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Reinforces U.S. commitments under international treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but has no enforcement mechanism; it supports the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1996, unsigned by the U.S.) without pushing ratification.
• Constitutional: Raises questions about the President's sole authority over nuclear launches (rooted in Article II as Commander-in-Chief), suggesting "checks and balances" that could spark debates on executive power versus congressional oversight.
• Political: Sponsored by Democratic senators, it invokes bipartisan history (e.g., Reagan quotes) to appeal broadly, but critiques recent U.S. withdrawals from treaties like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987, ended 2019). As a resolution, it signals Senate sentiment, potentially influencing future budgets, treaties, or elections without binding action, and aligns with global initiatives like the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2017, not joined by the U.S.).

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]

Cosponsors (8)

Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT], Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD], Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA], Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR], Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL], Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]

Recent Actions

• 2025-07-16: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S4422)
• 2025-07-16: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

• Urging the United States to lead a global effort to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race. — issued 2025-07-16 — PDF (8 pages)