| Key Senate Bills |
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Use the color-coded icons to easily differentiate the good from the bad. Each √ represents a bill we supported. Each X represents a bill we opposed. 8 X REQUIRE THE U.S. AND RUSSIA TO NEGOTIATE ANOTHER TREATY (RC #287) George LeMieux (R-FL) introduced this amendment to require the U.S. and Russia to start negotiating a new treaty on short-range weapons within a year. While continuing the treaty process with Russia is crucial to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons, the real result of passing this amendment would be to scuttle one treaty in order to force another one. Failed, 35-62. 9 X INCLUDE WEAPONS THAT NO ONE ACTUALLY HAS (RC #293) John Ensign (R-NV) introduced an amendment to include nuclear missiles mounted on train cars in the treaty, even though the U.S. and Russia no longer have any, nor plan to use any ever again. Failed, 32-63. 10 √ MOTION TO TABLE AMENDMENT ON "STOLEN" MILITARY EQUIPMENT (RC #294) James Risch (R-ID) introduced this amendment attempting to connect the treaty to an unrelated and relatively minor controversy. It would have made the treaty contingent on the return of U.S. military equipment that Russia may have confiscated in the 2008 invasion of the Republic of Georgia. This motion tabled the amendment, preventing a vote. Passed, 61-32. 11 X SENATE TAKEOVER OF THE TREATY IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS (RC #295) New START creates a bilateral team responsible for coordinating implementation of the treaty. Roger Wicker's (R-MS) amendment would have required that team to submit everything they decide to the Senate for ratification, as if it were a new treaty. Failed, 34-59. 12 X INCLUDE A WHOLE NEW KIND OF WEAPON IN THE TREATY (RC #296) Jon Kyl (R-AZ) submitted this amendment to force the president to negotiate a 'side agreement' with Russia about a separate type of weapon that is not in the START treaty, again inappropriately tying a separate negotiation process to this treaty and forcing Russia to answer to the U.S. Senate. Failed, 31-62. 13 X CHANGE THE VERIFICATION RULES (RC #297) In another amendment, Jon Kyl (R-AZ) attempted to single-handedly rewrite the inspection and verification system in the treaty. Failed, 30-63. 14 √ NEW START: ANOTHER STEP TOWARD ELIMINATING NUCLEAR WEAPONS (RC #298) Thirteen Republicans joined Democrats to pass the first major nuclear arms treaty in decades. New START requires the U.S. and Russia, the owners of 95% of the world's nuclear weapons, to reduce their strategic deployed nuclear weapons arsenals to 1,550. The ratification of this treaty begins to restore U.S. credibility and sets the stage for pursuing other critical steps toward a nuclear weapons free world. Passed, 71-26.
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