Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—co-chair of the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—led his Senate and House colleagues in raising urgent concerns about the expiration this week of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia. The Trump Administration’s failure to negotiate a successor to New START means that there are no legally binding limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces for the first time in more than five decades.
“As of February 5, 2026, the United States and Russia no longer have a formal framework governing the deployment of their strategic forces for the first time since the 1970s. The lack of progress toward negotiating a replacement treaty—or even securing mutual commitment to abide by New START caps—is deeply disappointing, particularly given this administration’s recognition of the treaty’s objective of reducing nuclear risk and avoiding a new arms race,” Merkley and the lawmakers wrote to President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Support for nuclear arms control has long transcended party lines,” the group of lawmakers emphasized. “Republican and Democratic administrations alike have advanced bilateral agreements with Russia to reduce nuclear dangers even during periods of profound tension in the bilateral relationship. The American public also overwhelmingly supports these efforts. A recent poll conducted by ReThink Media and the Nuclear Threat Initiative found that 91 percent of registered voters believe the United States should negotiate a new agreement with Russia to maintain current nuclear limits or further reduce both countries’ arsenals.”
They concluded, “With the expiration of New START, the world has entered a nuclear threat environment without precedent in the post-Cold War era. This administration now has a historic opportunity to engage Russia and other nuclear-armed states to reduce tensions and lower the risk of rapid nuclear proliferation. The stakes could not be higher. We urge you to seize this moment and pursue enforceable, verifiable arms control agreements that place meaningful limits on the world’s largest nuclear arsenals.”
Merkley began his career in public service as a nuclear weapons policy analyst at the Pentagon and the Congressional Budget Office and has continued to be a leading voice in Congress for strong nuclear arms control and American national security. He has partnered with the other co-chairs of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group—U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (CA-08) and Don Beyer (VA-08)—to sound the alarm over the expiration of New START.
Merkley’s letter was signed by U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), John Garamendi (CA-08), Bill Foster (IL-11), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Dina Titus (NV-01), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Joe Courtney (CT-02), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).
Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here and follows below:
Dear President Trump:
We write today to express deep concern about the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and the absence of any constraints on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. For the first time in more than five decades, there are no legally binding limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces. Without an executive understanding to continue observing New START limits while a successor agreement is negotiated, global nuclear risks will continue to grow. We urge you to swiftly reach such an understanding and prevent a renewed nuclear arms race.
As of February 5, 2026, the United States and Russia no longer have a formal framework governing the deployment of their strategic forces for the first time since the 1970s. The lack of progress toward negotiating a replacement treaty—or even securing mutual commitment to abide by New START caps—is deeply disappointing, particularly given this administration’s recognition of the treaty’s objective of reducing nuclear risk and avoiding a new arms race.
New START, signed in 2010, capped each country at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads; 800 deployed and non-deployed strategic launchers; and no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers. It also established robust verification and monitoring procedures. Although Russia suspended its participation in those procedures in February 2023, it remained below the treaty’s limits through its expiration.
In September 2025, Russia publicly indicated a willingness to continue observing New START limits for one year if the United States formally agreed to do the same. No reciprocal, time-limited understanding was reached, and New START expired without replacement. As a result, we now face a precarious strategic environment with no guardrails and no clear path forward. Prompt action is urgently needed.
While we support U.S. diplomatic engagement with Moscow to prevent a renewed nuclear arms race, we also reiterate our unequivocal opposition to Russia’s illegal, unprovoked, and ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The devastation inflicted on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure is unconscionable, and we condemn these actions in the strongest terms. Pursuing arms control does not legitimize Russia’s conduct; it protects the American people from catastrophic nuclear risk. Accordingly, the United States must pursue nuclear diplomacy that reduces the risk of miscalculation, escalation, and unconstrained nuclear competition.
Support for nuclear arms control has long transcended party lines. Republican and Democratic administrations alike have advanced bilateral agreements with Russia to reduce nuclear dangers even during periods of profound tension in the bilateral relationship. The American public also overwhelmingly supports these efforts. A recent poll conducted by ReThink Media and the Nuclear Threat Initiative found that 91 percent of registered voters believe the United States should negotiate a new agreement with Russia to maintain current nuclear limits or further reduce both countries’ arsenals.
With the expiration of New START, the world has entered a nuclear threat environment without precedent in the post-Cold War era. This administration now has a historic opportunity to engage Russia and other nuclear-armed states to reduce tensions and lower the risk of rapid nuclear proliferation. The stakes could not be higher. We urge you to seize this moment and pursue enforceable, verifiable arms control agreements that place meaningful limits on the world’s largest nuclear arsenals.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.
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