Does anybody think we no longer have to worry about Donald Trump's unilateral authority to use nuclear weapons?
This week I will be writing letters to representatives and senators in the US Congress to urge their support of HR669 "Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017" (corresponding Senate bill: S200).
Last winter I suggested people call and write Congress on this vital issue. As of today, there are 73 co-sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives and 13 in the Senate. We need more.
Two weeks ago the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on the issue. (You can watch the hearings here.) This is a startling step in a Republican-controlled Congress and a major step forward in moving this bill forward.
Below are the tasks I have set myself for the week.
What would happen if a large number of people picked up their pens and took control of this issue?
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| For people in California, the consequences of nuclear conflict seem just a little bit too real, as the publication of this image on the front page of The San Francisco Chronicle suggests. |
I will urge the second of my two senators, Kamala Harris, to co-sponsor S200. (Senator Feinstein was one of the first co-sponsors.)
✔ Tuesday: Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52)
My district is represented by Barbara Lee, who was the first of the eighteen (18) other California congressmen supporting the House version of the bill (HR669), introduced by her colleague from Los Angeles, Rep. Ted Lieu.
Now I will be writing to Scott Peters, who represents San Diego, to encourage him to join his California colleagues in co-sponsoring the bill.
✔ Wednesday: Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5)
During my years in Chicago, I frequently communicated with Rep. Quigley. (See, for instance, this letter from two years ago.) It's time to write to him again to urge him to join his Chicago-area colleagues in the House, Bobby Rush, Jan Schakowsky, and Luis Gutierrez, in co-sponsoring HR669.
✔ Thursday: Sen. Cory Booker (NJ)
Senator Cory Booker sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His support for S200 -- together with committee members Ed Markey (the original sponsor), Jeff Merkley, and Chris Murphy -- is vital.
✔ Friday: Sen. Rand Paul (KY)
Senator Rand Paul also sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is an independent voice within the Republican party, and a strong advocate for Congress' war authority under the U.S. Constitution. His support for S200 will all so be vital.
Who will you be writing to?
Related posts
Notes on how to talk to your representatives in Congress
"Nuclear Citizenship" by Elaine Scarry in Harper's
On Nuclear Weapons: We Need Tenacity
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