Election day will be here before we know it. So much is at stake for our nation, our democracy, our world — and our critical and urgent efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and to prevent nuclear war.
One thing is for certain, Congress will continue to play a major role in shaping and determining U.S. nuclear weapons policy. That is why we talk so often about “cultivating congressional leadership” and why it will continue to be a major priority for the Back from the Brink campaign in 2025 and beyond.
We’re often asked why Congress matters in this era of political polarization when there seems to be little chance of passing bold legislation. We’re also asked what we mean when we talk about congressional leadership on nuclear disarmament.
Here’s our big picture answer: To make progress, we have to fundamentally change the national conversation about nuclear weapons. We have to shift the collective thinking of a majority of Congress, the “national security establishment,” and much of the public who believe that nuclear weapons are necessary in order to keep us safe, that now is not a critical moment for arms control, and that abolishing nuclear weapons is simply impossible.
None of these things are true, and nuclear weapons are arguably the greatest threat to our security and the very future of humanity.
One of our key organizing vehicles has been H. Res. 77, the congressional Back from the Brink House resolution, introduced and led by Rep. James McGovern (D-MA).
We’ve leveraged this piece of legislation as an opportunity for us as activists to start a dialogue with members of Congress and their staffers, and in some cases, to educate them on this issue. Indeed, many of them know little about the issue including the tremendous human, environmental, and economic consequences of nuclear use, the harm they have and continue to cause, the tens of billions of tax dollars we fork over every year that are not available to address other pressing societal and human needs, and the real urgency of the moment when find ourselves in.
Our work in increasing cosponsorship for H. Res. 77 has been one important way for members of Congress to formally take a position on the nuclear weapons issue. At the end of the day, no president of any political party is going to advance a bold disarmament agenda, or advance any of Back from the Brink’s five policy solutions, without significant congressional support and public advocacy.
We also wanted to let you know that there’s an upcoming opportunity in November for your member of Congress to learn more about this issue and to show leadership.
A week after the election, Congress will be back in a lame duck session. Rep. McGovern’s office has convened a Special Order session on November 13 which will focus on why the U.S. should 1) not engage in a new nuclear arms race, 2) reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons, 3) return to negotiations, and 4) discuss related issues such as the Sentinel missile program and nuclear modernization.
And here’s where your advocacy comes in by requesting that your House Member participate in this upcoming Special Orders session.
You can take 2-3 minutes to call or email the staff person in your House Representative’s office responsible for nuclear weapons/military matters. Reach out to Jeremy Love at jeremy@preventnuclearwar.org for the staff person’s name and direct contact information.
You can also call or drop by your House Representative’s local district office, tell them you’re a constituent, and that you hope the Representative will participate in the 11/13 Special Orders session. You can locate contact and office location information here.
Before you reach out, be sure to review BftB’s talking points that we prepared and shared directly with many House offices. You don’t have to be an expert in the nuclear issue to contact your House Member — they’re elected to serve their constituents and your concerns should matter to them.
