Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Washington (August 5, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and long-time Congressional leader on nuclear non-proliferation, released the following statement on the 76th anniversary of Hiroshima.
“On the 76th anniversary of Hiroshima, we remember the devastating impact of the dangerous, untested weapon that was dropped over Hiroshima, and three days later on Nagasaki. As Americans, we must contend with the legacy of being the first country to develop — and the only country to unleash — life-destroying weapons in combat, forever changing modern war.
“In 1982, I addressed the largest peace demonstration in our nation’s history. One million people demanded that President Reagan freeze the U.S. arms race with the Soviet Union – a moment that spurred the Nuclear Freeze Movement. In 1985, on the 40th anniversary of the bombing, I met survivors of Hiroshima, known as the ‘Hibakusha’, who inspired me to lead the effort to eliminate U.S. underground explosive nuclear-tests in 1986. Through these now-halted tests, thousands of innocent lives were exposed to dangerous radioactive material that knew no borders, as the destruction spread from the American Southwest to the steppes of Kazakhstan to the Marshall Islands. The Manhattan Project scientists had predicted immediate blast effects to the best of their ability, but they could not predict the ongoing effects of exposure from the deadly radioactive material, impacting the lives of the innocent, indiscriminately.
“The United States has the moral responsibility to lead the global effort to eliminate nuclear weapons and erase the undeniable threat they cause. This will not happen overnight, but we must work to ensure that the horrific events of 1945 can never be repeated. President Biden has taken the initiative to extend the nuclear New START treaty for an additional five years, paving the way for the United States and Russia to guard against a rerun of the 20th century nuclear arms race. The President must now take additional bold actions that lead the world towards a future where nuclear weapons can no longer threaten to erase every person on the planet.”
Senator Markey has recently led several initiatives aimed at reducing the role and number of nuclear weapons globally:
- Last year, the House of Representatives National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) adopted Senator Markey’s Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives Testing (PLANET) Act to deny funds for the Trump administration to conduct an explosive nuclear test.
- In January this year, Senator Markey and Representative Ted Lieu (CA-33) announced the reintroduction of their Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2021, which would prohibit the President of the United States from launching a nuclear first strike absent a declaration of war by Congress
- In April this year, Senator Markey and Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) introduced their Investing in Cures Before Missiles Act (ICBM Act), which would divert money from the proposed Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) towards efforts to develop a universal coronavirus vaccine.
- In May this year, Senator Markey and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) reintroduced the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act, which would cancel or reduce nuclear weapons programs over the next decade and generate at least $73 billion in cost savings.
- In June this year, Senator Markey and Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02) announced reintroduction of their bicameral Hastening Arms Limitation Talks (HALT) Act, legislation outlining a vision for a 21st century nuclear freeze movement coinciding with the 39th anniversary of the one-million who gathered in New York’s Central Park.
- In July this year, Senator Markey, along with fellow co-chairs of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, led twenty of their colleagues urging President Biden to consider a series of bold actions that would fulfill his pledge to reduce “nuclear weapons in our national security strategy.”
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