It’s time to get serious about nuclear disarmament:
An open letter from local, county, and state officials
to President Joe Biden
Back from the Brink and Prevent Nuclear War
On November 16, 2023, Back from the Brink released a letter signed by over 200 local, county and state officials calling on President Joe Biden to fulfill his campaign promise and act decisively and urgently to confront the existential threat to humanity posed by nuclear weapons.
The letter urges the United States to send an observer delegation to the Second Meeting of State Parties to the UN Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to initiate negotiations with all nuclear weapons states toward a verifiable, time-bound agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons from the planet.
(November 28, 2023) — We are so pleased to report that earlier today Back from the Brink delivered our letter, It’s Time to Get Serious About Nuclear Disarmament, to President Biden signed by 218 mayors, city councilors, alderpeople, county commissioners and state legislators from around the country urging him to send an observer delegation to the 2nd Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and to initiate negotiations with all nuclear weapons states toward a verifiable, time-bound agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons from the planet.
We hope this letter will send an unmistakable signal to the president that it’s well past time they get serious about nuclear disarmament and that they listen to and heed the call for bold action coming from activists, elected leaders and the concerned public throughout the country. We all want to be safe and secure in our communities and we know nuclear weapons don’t make us safe. They put every person on the planet at grave risk.
Global Webinar on December 6, 2023
Please register for “Building Momentum for Nuclear Weapons Abolition After 2MSP: Next Generation Perspectives”, a BftB online webinar on Wednesday, December 6 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. This will be an exciting opportunity to hear from the next generation of nuclear disarmament leaders/professionals, get updates about BftB’s accomplishments and activities and, importantly, learn how you can get more involved in 2024.
THE LETTER
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden:
We, local and state elected officials from throughout the country, write to you about a clear and present danger—the growing threat of nuclear war—to urge you to act decisively and urgently to confront this existential threat to humanity and all we hold dear.
In July, 2022 you said “I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces clear and present danger.” You also speak regularly and eloquently about the American people’s ability to take on big challenges and accomplish whatever it is we set out to do as a people, as a country.
There are a number of steps you should take immediately that will significantly reduce nuclear risks, make the United States and the entire world safer and get us back on the path to a world free of nuclear weapons.
As you know these goals are shared by the other major nuclear powers whose leaders joined with you in 2022 to declare that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought” while also affirming the shared obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) Treaty “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.”
Mr. President, it’s time to act before catastrophe strikes and our luck runs out.
From November 27th to December 1st, 2023, the 2nd Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will be held in New York City. We urge your administration to send an observer delegation to the meeting. Doing so would send a clear signal to all nations — notably those countries that have either signed or ratified the TPNW — that their voices, concerns and desire for a safer world matter and that you believe the treaty can be an effective tool to make progress on global nuclear disarmament.
During the 2020 presidential campaign you said, “I will restore American leadership on arms control and non-proliferation as a central pillar of U.S. global leadership…I will work to bring us closer to a world free of nuclear weapons so that the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are never repeated.”
We urge you to show that leadership now by formally inviting Russia, China and all nuclear weapons states to enter into negotiations to pursue a verifiable, time bound agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons. Such an invitation to pursue dialogue and diplomacy built on a foundation of mutual self-interest in preventing a catastrophic nuclear war is precisely what is needed right now in the midst of heightened global tensions.
Sincerely,
Signatories
Pious Ali
City Councilor At-Large/ Mayor Pro Tem
Portland, ME
Judy Amabile
State Representative
Boulder, CO
Tom Andersen
State Representative
Salem, OR
Jimmy Anderson
State Representative
Fitchburg, WI
James Arena-DeRosa
State Representative
Holliston, MA
Poppy Arford
State Representative
Brunswick, ME
Jesse Arreguin
Mayor
Berkeley, CA
Xan Augerot
County Commissioner
Corvallis, OR
Michael Barrett
State Senator
Lexington, MA
Steve Bennett
Assemblymember
Ventura, CA
Olivia Bennett
County Councilor
Pittsburgh, PA
David Bennett
State Representative
Warwick, RI
Daniel Biss
Mayor
Evanston, IL
Mary Boren
State Senator
Norman, OK
Alex Bores
Assemblymember
New York, NY
Ryan Braunberger
State Senator
Fargo, ND, ND
Aaron Brockett
Mayor
Boulder, CO
Kyle Brown
State Representative
Louisville, CO
Tom Bullock
City Councilman at Large
Lakewood, OH
Liz Campos
City Council member
Ventura, CA
Mary Ann Carbone
Mayor
Sand City, CA
Anne Carney
State Senator
Cape Elizabeth, ME
TJ Cawley
Mayor
Morrisville, NC
Lauire Chaplen
Councilor
Corvallis, OR
Heather Chase
State Representative
Chester, VT
Ryan Clancy
County Supervisor
Milwaukee, WI
John Cloutier
State Representative
Claremont, NH
Jo Comerford
State Senator
Florence, MA
Dave Considine
State Representative
Baraboo, WI
Christine Corrado
Councilmember
Brighton, NY
Frank Cownie
Mayor
Des Moines, IA
Margaret Craven
State Representative
Lewiston, ME
Margaret Croke
State Representative
Chicago, IL
Justin Cummings
Third District County Supervisor
Santa Cruz, CA
Kevin Dahl
City Council Member
Tucson, AZ
Hope Damon
NH state representative
Croydon, NH
Kate Dean
County Commissioner
Port Townsend, WA
Chris deGruy Kennedy
State Representative
Lakewood, CO
Keith Denning
State Representative
Wilton, CT
James Dill
State Representative
Old Town, ME
Charlotte DiLorenzo
State Representative
Newmarket, NH
Carol Doherty
State Representative
Taunton, MA
Kari Dolan
State Representative
Waitsfield, VT
Brian Donohue
Town Councilor
Orangetown, NY
Andreae Downs
City Councilor
Newton, MA
Linda Duba
State Representative
Sioux Falls, SD
John W. Duncan
Alder
Madison, WI
Dee Durham
Council Member, New Castle County
Wilmington, DE
Heather Edelson
State Representative
Edina, MN
Harvey Epstein
Assembly member
New York, NY
Linda Ervin
County Legislator
Syracuse, NY
Tag Evers
Alder
Madison, WI
Mark Faldet
County Supervisor
Decorah, IA
- Fixmer-Oraiz
County Supervisor
Iowa City, IA
Lauren Folkerts
City Councilmember
Boulder, CO
Karen Foster
City Council Vice President
Northampton, MA
Samuel Frisby
County Commissioner
Trenton, NJ
Shana Fulcher
City Councilmember
Takoma Park, MD
Jane Fuller
County Councilor
Lopez Island, WA
Tavia Galonski
State Representative
Akron, OH
Mark Gamba
State Representative
Milwaukie, OR
Clark Gilman
Mayor Pro Tem
Olympia, WA
Evan Glass
Montgomery County Council President
Rockville, MD
Cheryl Golek
State Representative
Harpswell, ME
Michael Granger
State Representative
Milton, NH
Manna Jo Greene
Ulster County Legislator
Cottekill, NY
Adelita Grijalva
Chair and District Five Supervisor, Pima Couty Board of Supervisors
Tucson, AZ
Cliff Groh
State Representative
Anchorage, AK
Maria Hadden
Alderwoman
Chicago, IL
John Hamilton
Mayor
Bloomington, IN
Tyron Hampton
City Councilmember
Pasadena, CA
Sara Hannan
State Representative
Juneau, AK
Anna Hansen
County Commission Chair
Santa Fe County, NM
Sharon Harker
Mayor
Beaufort, NC
Melody Joy Hart
City Council President
Cleveland Heights, OH
Nadia Hasan
Beaverton City Councilor
Beaverton, OR
Ghazala Hashmi
State Senator
Richmond, VA
Denise Hayman
Senator
Bozeman, MT
Bill Henry
Comptroller
Baltimore, MD
Dennis Highberger
State Representative
Lawrence, KS
Hank Hughes
County Commissioner
Santa Fe, NM
Susan Hughes-Smith
Monroe County Legislator
Rochester, NY
Marshall Hyde
Councilmember
Corning, NY
Sadaf Jaffer
Assemblywoman
Montgomery, NJ
Will Jawando
Councilmember
Montgomery County, MD
Patricia Jehlen
State Senator
Somerville, MA
Alex Joers
State Representative
Middleton, WI
Fazlul Kabir
Mayor
College Park, MD
Jennifer Kassan
City Councilmember
Fremont, CA
Mich Kidani
Vice President, Hawaii State Senate
Honolulu, HI
April Kigeya
Dane County Supervisor
Madison, WI
Abby King
Vice-Chair, Town Council
Brunswick, ME
Bill Kinne
Onondaga County Legislator 15th District
Syracuse, NY
Cathy Kipp
State Representative
Fort Collins, CO
Bob Kressig
State Representative
Cedar Falls, IA
John Kuhar
Council Member
Kent, OH
Mary Kuhn
Onondaga County Legislator
Syracuse, NY
John Laesch
Aldermen-at-Large
Aurora, IL
Lindsey LaPointe
State Representative
Chicago, IL
Robert Laraway
Town Councilor
Orono, ME
Gail Larson
City Council Member
Cleveland Heights, OH
Joel Lavarda
County board supervisor
Oconto Falls, WI
Alison Leary
City Councilor at Large
Newton, MA
Lyndsie Leech
City Councilor
Eugene, OR
Elinor Levin
State Representative
Iowa City, IA
Martin Looney
Senate President Pro Tempore
New Haven, CT
Rachel Maiore
City Councilor
Northampton, MA
John W. Mannion
State Senator
District 50, NY
Caity Maple
City Councilmember
Sacramento, CA
Martita Martinez-Bravo
Councilmember
Camarillo, CA
Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford
Alder
Madison, WI
John Marty
State Senator
St Paul, MN
Jim Maslandh
State Representative
Thetford Center, VT
Rachel May
State Senator
Syracuse, NY
Julie Mayfield
State Senator
Asheville, NC
Sophia Mayott-Guerrero
City Councilwoman
Lakewood, CO
Carey McDonald
City Councilor
Malden, MA
Kristin McLaughlin
Mercer County Commissioner
Hopewell Township, NJ
Nina D. Melker
Mercer County Commissioner
Hamilton, NJ
Theresa Meshes
McHenry County Board Member
Fox River Grove, IL
Rebecca Millett
Representative
Cape Elizabeth, ME
Samantha Montano
State Representative
Jamaica Plain, MA
Jimmy Monto
Common Councilor
Syracuse, NY
Stanley Moulton
City Councilor
Northampton, MA
Jodi Newell
State Representative
Keene, NH
Jonathan Nieuwsma
City Councilmember
Evanston, IL
Vanessa Nordyke
Salem City Councilor
Keizer, OR
Emily Norton
City Councilor
Newton, MA
Juan Orozco
City Council Member
Ukiah, CA
Julie Palakovich Carr
State Delegate
Rockville, MD
Tony Palomba
City Councilor
Watertown, MA
Ruth Ann Palumbo
State Representative
Lexington, KY
Jamie Pedersen
State Senator
Seattle, WA
Andrew Perchlik
State Senator
Marshfield, VT
Khanh Pham
State Representative
Portland, OR
Trevor Phillips
City Councilor
Salem, OR
Gerry Pollet
State Representative
Seattle, WA
Frederick Prendergast
Commissioner
Aston, PA
Natalie Price
State Representative
Berkley, MI
James Provenza
County Supervisor
Davis, CA
Jim Provenza
Yolo County Supervisor
Davis, CA
Gibson Randall
Council Member
Tacoma Park, MD
Becca Rausch
Senator
Needham, MA
Ellen Read
State Representative
Newmarket, NH
Satya Rhodes-Conway
Mayor
Madison, WI
Skip Rollins
State Representative
Newport, NH
Andrea Romero
State Representative
Santa Fe, NM
Marilyn Rossetti
City Councilor
Hartford, CT
Lindsay Sabadosa
State Representative
Northampton, MA
Dr. Brian Sager
County Board Member
Woodstock, IL
Tawna Sanchez
State Representative
Portland, OR
Sharon Tomiko Santos
State Representative
Seattle, WA
Gina-Louise Sciarra
Mayor
Northampton, MA
Talisha Searcy
Mayor
Takoma Park, MD
Antoinette Sedillo Lopez
State Senator
Albuquerque, NM
Steven Shea
Milwaukee County Supervisor
Cudahy, WI
Jeff Shipley
State Representative
Birmingham, IA
Sumbul Siddiqui
Mayor
Cambridge, MA
Kristen Slack
Alder
Madison, WI
Rene Spring
Mayor Pro Tem
Morgan Hill, CA
Kate Stewart
County Councilmember
Takoma Park, MD
Vaughn Stewart
State Delegate
Rockville, MD
Betsy Stix
Mayor
Ojai, CA
Andi Story
State Representative
Juneau, AK
Erika Strassburger
City Councilperson
Pittsburgh, PA
Rod Sullivan
County Supervisor
Iowa City, IA
Bill Tallman
State senator
ABQ, NM
David Tarnas
State Representative
Honolulu, HI
Yasmin Trudeau
State Senator
Tacoma, WA
Shirley Turner
Senator
Trenton, NJ
Tony Unrein
Councilmember
Thornton, CO
Sande Updegraph
Town Councilor
Brunswick, ME
Bapu Vaitla
City Councilmember
Davis, CA
Javier Valdez
State Senator
Seattle, WA
Katie Valenzuela
City Councilmember
Sacramento, CA
Shirley Vermace
County Supervisor
Decorah, IA
Renee Villarreal
City Councilor
Santa Fe, NM
Lucy Vinis
Mayor
Eugene, OR
Chris Vitale
City Councilman
St. Clair Shores, MI
Joe Vogel
State Representative
Gaithersburg, MD
Ben Walsh
Mayor
Syracuse, NY
Sophie Warren
State Representative
Scarborough, ME
Anne Watson
State Senator
Montpelier, VT
Benjamin Waxman
State Representative
Philadelphia, PA
Natalie West
City Councilor – At Large
South Portland, ME
Bruce White
State Representative
Waterville, ME
Jheanelle Wilkins
Delegate, Maryland’s 20th Legislative District
Silver Spring, MD
Das Williams
Santa Barbara County Supervisor
Santa Barbara, CA
Nicole Williams
State Delegate
Greenbelt, MD
Bobby Williams
City Councilor
Keene, NH
Robin Wilt
Councilmember
Town of Brighton, NY
Addison Winslow
City Councilmember
Chico, CA
Theresa Wood
State Representative
Waterbury, VT
Owen Zaret
City Councilor
Easthampton, MA
Quinton Zondervan
City Councilor
Cambridge, MA
Andrew Zwicker
New Jersey State Senator
Hillsborough, NJ
Back from the Brink · c/o PSR-LA
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