[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 611 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 611

      Expressing the sense of Congress that the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable 
   contribution to the United States and international security, and 
recognizing that the United States will seek a successful Ninth Review 
  Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of 
                            Nuclear Weapons.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 3, 2022

Mr. Menendez submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Expressing the sense of Congress that the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable 
   contribution to the United States and international security, and 
recognizing that the United States will seek a successful Ninth Review 
  Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of 
                            Nuclear Weapons.

Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) opened for 
        signature 53 years ago on July 1, 1968, and entered into force in 1970;
Whereas the NPT is a cornerstone of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime 
        and has grown to include 191 States Parties;
Whereas the United States remains committed to upholding the three pillars of 
        the NPT, which include--

    (1) non-proliferation;

    (2) disarmament; and

    (3) the peaceful use of nuclear energy;

Whereas Article III of the NPT obligates each nonnuclear weapon state to the NPT 
        to conclude a Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy 
        Agency (IAEA) to verify treaty compliance, 174 of which are 
        Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements crafted to detect the diversion of 
        nuclear materials from peaceful to non-peaceful uses;
Whereas the IAEA strengthens the global nuclear and security framework and helps 
        promote international nuclear cooperation, and IAEA safeguards are a 
        requirement for United States bilateral nuclear cooperation;
Whereas the United States was the first country to conclude a safeguards 
        agreement with the IAEA;
Whereas the 2018 Department of Defense Nuclear Posture Review affirms, ``The 
        Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a cornerstone of the nuclear 
        nonproliferation regime. It plays a positive role in building consensus 
        for non-proliferation and enhances international efforts to impose costs 
        on those that would pursue nuclear weapons outside the Treaty.'';
Whereas the success of the NPT has and will continue to depend upon the full 
        implementation by all States Parties of the NPT's three mutually 
        reinforcing pillars;
Whereas, over the past half century, the United States has exhibited leadership 
        in strengthening each of the NPT's three pillars for the global good, 
        including--

    (1) reducing its nuclear weapons stockpile by 88 percent from its 
maximum in 1967 of 31,225 in parallel with equally massive reductions of 
the Russian Federation's stockpile through bilateral coordination;

    (2) cooperating with former Soviet States to facilitate the surrender 
of nuclear weapons on their soil after the fall of the Soviet Union;

    (3) providing voluntary contributions to the IAEA to promote peaceful 
nuclear activities exceeding $378,000,000 since 2010, including activities 
that help in the treatment of cancer and other life-saving applications; 
and

    (4) extending deterrence to United States allies in the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO), Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Australia, 
which is an unmistakable demonstration of the United States commitment to 
collective security;

Whereas the United States calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with 
        its obligations under the NPT, which it ratified in 1970, abide by its 
        1974 comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and fully and 
        permanently implement the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards 
        agreement in refraining to obtain or produce nuclear weapons;
Whereas heightened geopolitical tensions in recent years have made cooperation 
        on nonproliferation and arms control issues with the Russian Federation 
        and the People's Republic of China more challenging;
Whereas recent harmful actions by the Government of the Russian Federation have 
        led to a further a deterioration in bilateral relations with the United 
        States, including Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea, its 2014 
        invasion of Eastern Ukraine, and its 2022 invasion into all of Ukraine, 
        its brazen interference in the 2016 and 2020 United States presidential 
        elections, its violation of the Treaty between the United States of 
        America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination 
        of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, signed at 
        Washington December 8, 1987, and entered into force June 1, 1988 
        (commonly referred to as the ``INF Treaty''), its use of chemical nerve 
        agents in assassination attempts in the United Kingdom and against 
        Aleksei A. Navalny, and its destabilizing actions in Syria;
Whereas concerning actions by the People's Republic of China have also strained 
        bilateral relations with the United States, including a sustained build-
        up of nuclear forces, threatening military activities toward Taiwan, and 
        the transfer by Chinese entities of proliferation and missile technology 
        transfers to States such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea, 
        Syria, and Pakistan;
Whereas, despite these challenges, the United States remains committed to a 
        stable strategic relationship with the Governments of the Russian 
        Federation and the People's Republic of China and especially in the 
        field of nonproliferation and arms control;
Whereas United States efforts to reduce dangers associated with nuclear arsenals 
        through ambitious arms control agreements with both the Russian 
        Federation and the People's Republic of China would advance United 
        States and global security, adding to the benefits of stability and 
        transparency provided by existing agreements;
Whereas President Joseph R. Biden's decision to extend the New START Treaty 
        between the United States and the Russian Federation for five years 
        places verifiable legally binding limits on Russian ICBMs, SLBMs, and 
        heavy bombers until February 5, 2026;
Whereas the Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) continues to be the 
        appropriate forum for the Parties to engage constructively on any New 
        START Treaty implementation issues that arise;
Whereas the Ninth Review Conference of the States Parties to the NPT will take 
        place in August of 2022 in New York, having been rescheduled due to 
        restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic; and
Whereas the Ninth Review Conference presents an opportunity to refocus States 
        Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on the 
        danger that the spread of nuclear weapons poses, to discuss potential 
        ways to deal with countries that continue to pose a nuclear security 
        threat, and to find common solutions so as to further reduce the number 
        of nuclear weapons in the world and enable increased use of nuclear 
        energy while improving safeguards to ensure that illicit nuclear 
        programs are not occurring: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should continue to encourage all 
        States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of 
        Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to comply fully with the terms and the 
        spirit of the Treaty;
            (2) the United States should--
                    (A) maintain support for the IAEA through its 
                assessed and voluntary contributions and seek to pay 
                its dues at the beginning of the IAEA's fiscal year and 
                through advocating for all countries to enter into the 
                Additional Protocols with the IAEA;
                    (B) pursue a verifiable and comprehensive arms 
                control agreement with the Russian Federation and the 
                People's Republic of China to capture strategic and 
                nonstrategic nuclear weapons capabilities, which would 
                enhance United States and global security by building 
                upon other treaties, agreements, and transparency 
                measures that reduce nuclear risk;
                    (C) continue to encourage opportunities with other 
                nuclear weapon-possessing States to reduce the reliance 
                upon, role, and number of nuclear weapons in their 
                national military strategies; and
                    (D) advance critical United States security 
                partnerships like the one among Australia, the United 
                Kingdom, and the United States (commonly known as 
                ``AUKUS'') consistent with IAEA safeguards, to provide 
                Australia with naval nuclear propulsion technology to 
                better deter against military aggression in the Indo-
                Pacific; and
            (3) the President is encouraged to work with other States 
        Parties to the NPT to strengthen compliance and enforcement 
        mechanisms and develop collective responses in the United 
        Nations Security Council and in any other relevant multilateral 
        fora to any notification of withdrawal from the Treaty.
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