ACTION ALERT: Call for
Congressional Action to Prevent Nuclear War

Back from the Brink

(February 1, 2023) —Just last week, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved forward their iconic Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight — the closest it’s ever been to global apocalypse. And we are well aware of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling and the growing tensions between the United States and China.

So yes, the risk of nuclear war is frighteningly real, which puts all of humanity, all we hold dear, at risk. And the time for action and leadership is now — especially from members of Congress whose voice and votes help shape US nuclear weapons policies and the decisions of the Executive Branch.

Environmentalists Against War has shown real leadership as one of over 400 organizations large and small throughout the United States that have endorsed Back from the Brink’s policy platform.

The Next Step: An Appeal to Congress
Will you sign our campaign letter in support of H. Res. 77, introduced yesterday in the US House of Representatives by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)? The resolution calls on the United States to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to adopt Back from the Brink’s policy prescriptions, including:

• Actively pursuing and concluding negotiations on a new, bilateral nuclear arms control and disarmament framework agreement with the Russian Federation before 2026 and pursuing negotiations with China and other nuclear-armed states on an agreement or agreements for the verifiable, enforceable, and time-bound elimination of global nuclear arsenals;
• Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first;
• Ending the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack;
• Taking the nuclear weapons of the United States off hair-trigger alert;
• Canceling the plan to replace the nuclear arsenal of the United States with “modernized,” enhanced weapons.

Beyond the Bomb delievers petitions to the White House.

Why A Congressional Resolution?
To be clear, our goal is to use this resolution as an important organizing and public education vehicle to build Congressional champions in 2023 — and as a focal point for community-based Back from the Brink (BftB) and nuclear disarmament advocacy efforts.

Getting your US House Representative to co-sponsor this resolution is one simple first step they can take to get off the sidelines and make nuclear disarmament the priority that more of the public is demanding every day — as evidenced by Back from the Brink’s growing support.

Local organizing efforts and calls for action like this letter will hopefully encourage them (and other community leaders and elected officials) to take other steps, like giving speeches, talking to the Biden administration, talking to other House colleagues etc.

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THE LETTER
Dear Representative:

Vladimir Putin has made terrifying nuclear threats as part of his horrific war against Ukraine. The prospect of war over Taiwan is rising. Last August, the UN Secretary-General said: “humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.”

In short, the risk of nuclear war is all too real — perhaps greater than it has been since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 — threatening all of humanity. It’s well past time for the United States and the world to get serious about nuclear disarmament and to take steps to prevent nuclear war and reduce nuclear risks.

Congress has a vital role to play in championing nuclear risk reduction and disarmament. In that spirit, we ask you to join Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) in co-sponsoring H. Res. 77, a resolution calling on the United States to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to take concrete policy steps to reduce nuclear risks.

More specifically, the resolution calls on the United States to make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of the national security policy of the United States and calls on the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, all other Federal and congressional leaders of the United States and the American people to lead a global effort to move the world back from the nuclear brink and to prevent nuclear war by:

• Actively pursuing and concluding negotiations on a new, bilateral nuclear arms control and disarmament framework agreement with the Russian Federation before 2026 and pursuing negotiations with China and other nuclear-armed states on an agreement or agreements for the verifiable, enforceable, and time-bound elimination of global nuclear arsenals;
• Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first;
• Ending the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack;
• Taking the nuclear weapons of the United States off hair-trigger alert; and
• Canceling the plan to replace the nuclear arsenal of the United States with modernized, enhanced weapons.

This time of war and heightened global tensions is a stark reminder of why the United States, Russia, China and all nuclear weapons states need to revitalize nuclear arms reductions and disarmament efforts. Before the unthinkable happens.

US nuclear weapons did nothing to deter Vladimir Putin’s war on the Ukrainian people. They don’t make the United States nor any country safe. They are illegitimate, immoral instruments of national security* that must be eliminated before catastrophe strikes. [*Make that “insecurity” — EAW]

Some say that it is unrealistic to talk about abolishing nuclear weapons. We say it is unrealistic to think we can continue with thousands of nuclear weapons in the world and expect that they will not be used. Many experts and former defense officials have for years pointed out that we have likely avoided a nuclear war largely because of luck, not because of sound policies or decision-making or infallible technology.

Public support for abolishing nuclear weapons is strong. In the US, a growing number of local and state governments — from small towns to major cities — have adopted resolutions supporting complete nuclear disarmament and these same policies to help prevent nuclear war. Internationally 122 countries — two-thirds of the world’s nations — voted to adopt the TPNW.

Please be a voice and advocate for sensible nuclear weapons policies that will help prevent nuclear war and achieve global nuclear disarmament. Co-sponsoring H. Res. 77 is one simple way for you to show that leadership.
Sincerely ….

NOTE: Back from the Brink is working to secure support for a Senate version of H. Res. 77 and will send this same letter of support to all senators once it is introduced.

Who’s Signed the Letter So Far?
Click here to see the letter and a list of the organizations that have already signed on.

Interested in Becoming a Coalition Partner?
Thank you again for endorsing BftB’s policy platform. Please consider becoming a Coalition Partner. In addition to endorsing the campaign Coalition Partners agree to actively support the coalition, its policy goals and initiatives through various means, such as periodically communicating with supporters about the campaign; making a financial contribution; attending coalition events and meetings; promoting the campaign on social media; or helping grow the coalition’s relationships and partnerships with other organizations, influencers and decision makers.

Back from the Brink supports Coalition Partners by providing consultation, training and campaign materials if desired. To request more information and a copy of the Coalition’s Operating Guidelines and Partnership Agreement contact Sean Meyer at seanmeyer413@gmail.com.

Let’s make 2023 a breakthrough year for nuclear disarmament and the Back from the Brink campaign. With your help and support we know we can make great strides. And please reach out with any questions or suggestions you might have.
Sincerely,
Back from the Brink organizers

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