Open Letter to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in Support of H. Res. 317
June 2025
We, the undersigned organizations, write to urge you to co-sponsor House Resolution 317, the critical resolution introduced by Representatives Jim McGovern and Jill Tokuda, titled “Urging the United States to Lead the World Back from the Brink of Nuclear War and Halt and Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race.” H. Res. 317 embodies a comprehensive strategy to protect humanity and strengthen global security by addressing the existential threat to humanity posed by nuclear weapons and adopting common-sense policies to prevent nuclear war.
The Resolution’s Core Concerns
The resolution calls attention to the intolerable risk posed by the approximately 12,000 nuclear weapons that remain worldwide, with the United States and Russia controlling an estimated 95% of them. It highlights several alarming factors:
Catastrophic Risks, Environmental and Human Impact
A large-scale nuclear conflict would directly kill millions and devastate the planet’s climate, causing unprecedented environmental damage akin to conditions last seen during the Ice Age. Scientific studies demonstrate that the use of even a small fraction of existing nuclear weapons could trigger global climate disruption, leading to widespread famine and putting hundreds of millions of lives at risk.
Near-Misses and Growing Tensions
Historical miscalculations and adversarial misinterpretations have brought the world perilously close to nuclear war. Current geopolitical tensions—such as Russia’s explicit threats amidst the Ukraine invasion, deteriorating U.S.-China relations, ongoing crises on the Korean Peninsula, and heightened tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan—serve as stark reminders of the urgency to act.
Disproportionate Burdens
The resolution underscores the far-reaching harm inflicted on communities by nuclear weapons production, testing, and resource diversion. From radioactive exposure affecting marginalized groups near test sites to the exploitation of natural resources for uranium mining, nuclear weapons have left a devastating legacy. Additionally, the immense financial burden of nuclear spending diverts critical resources away from urgent societal needs, such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
Why Co-Sponsorship Is Imperative
As affirmed by the resolution, the United States has a unique responsibility to lead global efforts toward disarmament and nuclear risk reduction:
Lead by Example
Reinforces the U.S. commitment to Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and encourages other nuclear-armed states to follow suit in negotiations to halt arsenal buildups and verifiably eliminate existing stockpiles.
Reform Cold War-era Policies
Advocates for safer nuclear policies, including ending the Cold War-era “launch-under-attack” posture and first-use policies, which significantly increase the risks of accidental nuclear conflict.
Redirect Your Constituents’ Tax Dollars
Reduces the financial strain on U.S. taxpayers by halting the exorbitant and unwarranted initiatives to develop and deploy new nuclear warheads and delivery systems, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will cost $946 billion over the next decade.
A Vision for the Future
The resolution also emphasizes essential steps to ensure a safer and just future by maintaining the global moratorium on nuclear explosive testing, providing compensation and remediation for communities and workers affected by nuclear weapon production and testing, and planning an economic transition for civilian and military workforces tied to the nuclear industry, fostering sustainable development in affected communities.
By co-sponsoring H. Res. 317, you will take a stand for the preservation of human survival, environmental integrity, and global stability. This is not only a national security imperative but a moral obligation to lead the world away from the precipice of nuclear disaster. To sign on, please contact Cindy Buhl in Rep. McGovern’s office at cindy.buhl@mail.house.gov.
We urge you to join us in supporting this pivotal resolution and demonstrating your leadership in advancing a future free of nuclear weapons. Together, we can turn the tide and ensure a safer world for generations to come.
Sincerely,
National Organizations:
American Friends Service Committee
Council for a Livable World
Friends Committee on National Legislation
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
Pax Christi International
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Ploughshares
Presbyterian Church USA, Office of Public Witness
Sierra Club
Soka Gakkai International-USA
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Veterans For Peace
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
Local/Regional Organizations:
American Friends Service Committee
Boundless Love Project
Brookline PAX
Brooklyn For Peace
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security
Cape Ann Indivisible
Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility
Chicago Area Peace Action
Coalition for Peace Action
Congregation Bet Ha’am
Connecticut Palestine Alliance
CT-RI Justice Circle
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, DC
Enough Gun Violence/Brady Greater Fresno
Felician Sisters
Feminists Choosing Life of NY
Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice
Franciscan Action Network
Frederick Friends Meeting
Fresno Center for Nonviolence
Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility
Greater New Haven Peace Council
Institute of Trauma and Economic Justice
Interfaith Communities United for Justice & Peace
International Institute on Peace Education
Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, NY
Maine Medical Association
Mainers Ending Nuclear Dangers
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Milwaukee Veterans For Peace, Chapter 102
Minnesota Peace Project
Monterey Peace and Justice Center
Nevada Desert Experience
New Jersey Peace Action
NH Peace Action
No More Bombs
North Shore Coalition for Peace & Justice
Northern Yearly Meeting-Religious Society of Friends
Northland Grandmothers for Peace
Nuclear Abolition Now
Nuclear Watch New Mexico
One Earth Body Care
Oregon PeaceWorks
Pax Christi – St. John the Baptist
Pax Christi – St. Joseph Catholic Church
Pax Christi Dallas
Pax Christi Little Rock
Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore
Pax Christi Northwest
Pax Christi Rhode Island
Pax Christi Western Massachusetts
Peace Action Maine
Peace Action New York State
Peace Fresno
Peace with Justice Advocates, NHCUCC
Peace, Justice, Sustainabilty, NOW!
PeaceWorks Kansas City
Pelican Media
People for Nuclear Disarmament
Physicians for Social Responsibility – Kansas City
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
PNC: Stop Banking the Bomb
Preventnuclearwar-Maryland
PSR Maine
PSR/Pioneer Valley
Religions for Peace-USA
Saint Susanna Parish
San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility
Schuylkill Friends Meeting
Science for the People
SHOL Pax Christi/Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s Church
Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa
Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, MA
St. Rose of Lima Pax Christi
The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County
The Nuclear Resister
Traprock Center for Peace and Justice
Tri-Valley CAREs
Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
Union for Reform Judaism
United Nations Association of Connecticut
United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia
Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclearism
Veterans For Peace – Chapter 180
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment
Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation
Western States Legal Foundation
Win Without War
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – Fresno Branch
Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
*Last updated June 12, 2025
