LIEBERMAN HAILS RATIFICATION OF NEW START TREATY, SENATE SUPPORT FOR MISSILE DEFENSES

WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT) today issued the following statement in response to the Senate’s ratification of the New START Treaty. Prior to ratifying the Treaty, the Senate adopted an amendment to the Resolution of Ratification offered by Senator Lieberman, along with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), along with a number of co-sponsors.

“I was proud to vote today for the ratification of the New START Treaty,” Lieberman said. “This Treaty will establish new goals for the reduction in the U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles, as well as procedures to guarantee that both sides are abiding by its central limits. This is a modest, but important component of our broader nonproliferation and arms control agenda."

“When the President signed the New START Treaty in April, I stated that my final vote for the Treaty would largely be contingent upon whether I was assured that the administration had developed an adequately-funded plan to keep the smaller nuclear stockpile it envisions safe, secure, and reliable. In the months since, the President has detailed a plan that will provide more than $85 billion to modernize our nuclear enterprise over the next decade. I laud the President for his leadership in this regard, and thank my colleague Senator Jon Kyl for his great efforts in developing the plan with the Administration.”

“A second concern that I believe the President and the Senate have worked to address is the continued development and deployment of U.S. missile defense capabilities, particularly in light of the Russian Federation’s unilateral statement that the New START Treaty would only remain viable if the United States does not pursue a ‘qualitative or quantitative build-up’ of its defenses against ballistic missiles. I was honored to join Senator John McCain and Senator Bob Corker in introducing an amendment that clearly states the U.S. position that the continued improvement and deployment of missile defenses does not constitute a basis for Russian withdrawal from the Treaty. I thank both of these esteemed colleagues for their commitment to clearly articulating the Senate’s bipartisan consensus in support of our missile defense programs.”

“Finally, I thank Senator John Kerry and Senator Richard Lugar for their leadership on the floor as the Senate debated the New START Treaty. I am grateful for their tireless efforts, which have made ratification possible."

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