World briefs: Top Dems introduce bill to prevent U.S. from striking first with nukes
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WASHINGTON - Legislation introduced by Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate on Wednesday would bar the United States from using a nuclear weapon unless attacked with one first, demonstrating growing momentum for antinuclear sentiments on the left in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a 2020 presidential contender, and Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the “No First Use Act” in their respective chambers to codify in law what they said “most Americans already believe - that the United States should never initiate a nuclear war.”
The text of the bill is simple, saying only that “it is the policy of the United States not to use nuclear weapons first.” But while the measure has support among many Democrats, and could pass through the House, it likely wouldn’t win enough Republican backing to win approval in the Senate.
It would almost certainly face a veto by President Donald Trump, whose administration has opposed the proposal in its nuclear weapons policy. Still, the introduction of the bill by a high-profile presidential contender and the chairman of one of the House’s most powerful committees indicates how the idea is gaining traction within a swath of the Democratic base.
Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2019/01/30/World-briefs-Top-Dems-introduce-bill-prevent-US-from-striking-first-with-nukes/stories/201901310072
The article is based primarily upon an article in the Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/top-democrats-introduce-bill-to-prevent-us-from-striking-first-with-nuclear-weapons/2019/01/30/a5959ee6-24bc-11e9-ba08-caf4ff5a3433_story.html
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