Take Action This Week to Stop Nuclear Arms-racing
RootsAction

(January 31, 2026) — This week, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set their Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight ever — with good reason.

On February 4, New START, the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia, will expire. The risk that nuclear weapons will be used again has been unthinkably high for a long time now. Without this limit on the world’s two largest arsenals, it’s about to get even higher.

You can still take action to stop this. Contact your Members of Congress now and tell them to do everything they can to extend New START.

Action: Tell Congress: No New Arms Race

THE LETTER
I am writing as your constituent to urge you in the strongest possible terms to support an extension of the New Strategic Arms Control Treaty, or New START, the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, before it expires on February 4, 2026.

The treaty maintains limits on the number of deployed nuclear weapons both countries can have. While U.S. and Russian arsenals under the treaty are still more than capable of destroying everything we as humans have worked for, it represents decades of bipartisan work to limit the real, constant dangers that come with possessing nuclear weapons. We cannot let those achievements go to waste.

Without the treaty, there will be nothing stopping a new arms race, which would further increase the risk that nuclear weapons will be used again. Both President Trump and leading Russian government officials have expressed willingness to extend the treaty’s limits. Please add your voice to those calling on both countries to maintain these limits and prioritize Americans’ safety and security.

Time is quickly running out. Please do everything you can to make sure that we keep these basic, necessary limits on U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons.

Other Actions:

• Join Peace Action’s February 3 New START Action Hour at 12 noon ET  to generate calls and emails to Congress and the president in support of continuing to observe the New START limits. You can call your congress member through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
•  Use social media. You can find some suggested language for posts here, and graphics here.

• It’s not too late — but it’s almost too late. Now is the time tospeak out. Even if you have already written or called your Members of Congress, every additional message helps drive home the vital importance of preventing an even more aggressive and dangerous arms race.