Currently, the decision to use nuclear weapons is in the hands of just one person. Unless Congress acts, the President could single-handedly start a nuclear war within minutes. Having that decision fall on only one person, with no checks or balances, is contrary to our Constitution and increases the probability that nuclear weapons will be used.

Reintroduced by Rep. Ted Lieu and Sen. Edward Markey, the "Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act" creates a safeguard by requiring authorization from Congress before nuclear weapons can be deployed, except if the United States is under nuclear attack.

Tell your Legislators: Reduce the chance of first use of US nuclear weapons, due to miscalculation or misunderstanding, by co-sponsoring, and voting in support of, H.R.669 / S.1186: the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act! Click here NOW to quickly email your two US Senators and your US Representative; it only takes a minute!

If you have time, you can increase your impact by also calling your Senators and US Representative! Call 1-202-224-3121 and ask to speak to the offices of your US Representative and Senators. When you get through, say:

“I am calling as a constituent concerned about the danger of US nuclear weapons being used first due to miscalculation or misunderstanding. To reduce that threat, we need a requirement for Congress to specifically authorize the use of nuclear weapons before they can be used, except if the United States is under nuclear attack. I urge Sen./Rep. ______ to co-sponsor the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, H.R.669 / S.1186. Please let me know what action they take on this important measure to reduce the chance of accidental nuclear war."

Tell your Legislators TODAY:
We urge you to co-sponsor the Restricting The First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act!

P.S. Click here to see a recap of CFPA's Annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration from August 8th which includes a link to view a video recording of the program. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Stewart Prager, highlighted the danger of continuing to let just one person make the decision to use nuclear weapons.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Robert Moore
Executive Director
Coalition for Peace Action &
Peace Action Education Fund
40 Witherspoon Street
Princeton, NJ 08542

The world was just reminded again how close we are to a nuclear arms race—or an unimaginable nuclear war—when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is suspending his country's compliance with the New START arms control agreement. While suspending New START, the last remaining bilateral treaty between the United States and Russia, is not the same as withdrawing, it is still deeply troublesome.

Nuclear arms control is essentially on life support. Rather than use this moment to double down on the importance of arms control, some policymakers are using the war and Putin's announcement as an excuse to push for new and more destructive nuclear weapons. This is exactly the wrong move right now.

We need our decisionmakers in the United States to get us on a safer path, one toward a world without nuclear weapons. Luckily, a number of US Representatives are creating that path: Urge your US Representative to protect us from nuclear war by cosponsoring H. Res. 77.

H. Res. 77 calls on the United States to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to adopt comprehensive policies for reducing nuclear risks including: declaring the United States will never be the first to use a nuclear weapon, ending the president's sole authority to launch a nuclear weapon, and canceling plans for new and unnecessary nuclear weapons.

Introduced by representatives Jim McGovern and Earl Blumenauer, H. Res. 77 is a tool to stimulate real debate about nuclear weapons in communities around the country and for cultivating congressional leaders committed to advancing the cause of nuclear disarmament.

The demand for change is growing. More than 70 cities, towns, counties, and states (including the NJ Assembly) have passed Back from the Brink resolutions with these comprehensive policies. More than 400 organizations--including CFPA-- have also endorsed Back from the Brink. And 92 nations around the world have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

We need your help to keep up the pressure and continue building the nuclear disarmament movement. Write TODAY and urge your US Representative to keep us safe from nuclear weapons.