The New START Treaty is promoted by the Obama Administration as a means toward a reduction of nuclear weapons.The Treaty is fatally flawed within the four corners of the document and in a side agreement to dismantle missile defense in consideration for Russia’s signature. And now the Obama Administration and allies in the House and Senate have inserted a position in a draft of the Continuing Resolution to condition money for nuclear modernization on ratification of the Treaty.
The Continuing Resolution is the appropriations bill that will keep the government funded into next year. Clearly, liberals in the House and the Obama Administration are trying to use the appropriations process to force Senate consideration of the New START Treaty.
Note this provision in the House Democrats’ DISCUSSION DRAFT (Dec. 5, 2010, 12:18 a.m., page 56) of the year-long appropriations continuing resolution:
SEC. 2412. Notwithstanding section 1101, the level for Atomic Energy Defense Activities National Nuclear Security Administration Weapons Activities shall be $7,008,835,000: Provided, That $624,000,000 of such amount shall be available only upon the Senate giving its advice and consent to the ratification of the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (commonly known as the New START Treaty).
This is an outrage to condition the modernization of our nuclear forces on the ratification of a Treaty. This is a quid pro quo to make sure that Republicans in the Senate are pressured, by millions in nuclear modernization monies, to vote for the ratification of the New START Treaty.
