The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has long supported securing nuclear materials from terrorists and reducing the number of nuclear armaments. For decades the General Assembly has promoted the policy goals of preventing proliferation of these horrific weapons and ultimately eliminating them.
The church welcomed the April 8 announcement that a new nuclear arms reduction treaty had been signed by President Obama of the United States and by President Medvedev of Russia. This is important step.
Additional steps must follow. Before this treaty goes into force, both the U.S. Senate and the Russian parliament need to ratify it. That means 67 U.S. senators will need to vote for ratification. This is a considerable challenge. In the increasingly partisan atmosphere of an election year, persuading the Senate to act on this treaty will be difficult.