Does the President Need to be Blocked From Launching a Nuclear First Strike Unless Congress Declares War? (H.R. 669)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 669?
(Updated August 26, 2021)
This bill would prohibit the president from launching a nuclear first strike against a U.S. adversary unless Congress has approved a declaration of war against that country that explicitly authorizes a first strike.
It would also declare that it is U.S. policy to never use a nuclear first strike without a declaration of war. A nuclear first strike would be defined as any nuclear attack against an enemy that is conducted without the president determining that the enemy has first launched a nuclear strike against the U.S. or one of its allies.
Argument in favor
A U.S. president shouldn’t conduct a nuclear first strike unless an adversary has already attacked America or its allies with nuclear weapons or Congress has given the president that authority. That power in the wrong hands could lead to nuclear armageddon.
Argument opposed
To deny the president even the possibility of launching a unilateral nuclear first strike give our enemies leverage. There could be scenarios where there’s only a brief window to launch a preemptive strike before an adversary can attack America or its allies.
Impact
Congress and the President.
Cost of H.R. 669
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced this bill to restrain a president from launching a nuclear first strike against an enemy of the U.S. unless Congress gives its authorization. In a press release, Lieu said the issue "is more urgent now than ever that President Donald Trump has the power to launch a nuclear war at a moment's notice" and added:
“It is a frightening reality that the U.S. now has a Commander-in-Chief who has demonstrated ignorance of the nuclear triad, stated his desire to be 'unpredictable' with nuclear weapons, and as President-elect was making sweeping statements about U.S. nuclear policy over Twitter. Congress must act to preserve global stability by restricting the circumstances under which the U.S. would be the first nation to use a nuclear weapon. Our Founders created a system of checks and balances, and it is essential for that standard to be applied to the potentially civilization-ending threat of nuclear war.”
This legislation has the support of 58 cosponsors in the House, including 57 Democrats and one Republican. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said that it's "urgent" for the U.S. to formally adopt a no first-use policy on nuclear weapons.
Of Note: During the presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her surrogates said that Donald Trump would start a nuclear war, after the host of a TV show alleged that Trump asked a foreign policy expert several times why nuclear weapons aren’t used. Trump denied that allegation.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell(Photo Credit: National Nuclear Security Administration / Creative Commons)
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