WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the State Department’s annual report on the New START Treaty (NST):
“The State Department’s determination that Russia has failed to comply with its NST obligations is hardly shocking. What is shocking, however, is the Department’s conclusion that Russia’s violations do not harm U.S. interests. This is yet another self-deterring, unilateral concession to America’s adversaries from the Biden Administration. If Russian cheating does not matter, then why do we have an arms control treaty with them at all?
“The nuclear landscape has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Russia, China, and other nations are increasing their reliance on nuclear weapons, and are willing to cheat on treaties to gain an upper hand. Rather than renaming bureaus at the State Department, it’s time the Biden Administration enter the 21st century security environment and prioritize adapting our nuclear arsenal to the modern world. The status quo will not protect the American people.”
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