Democrats Reintroduce Bill to Block US From Using Nuclear Weapons First

A pair of Democratic lawmakers in the House and the Senate reintroduced a bill on Friday that would prohibit the US from using nuclear weapons first. The legislation was introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA).

The bill reads: “It is the policy of the United States to not use nuclear weapons first.” The legislation will be reviewed by the foreign affairs committees of each chamber of Congress.

A no first use bill was introduced by Smith and Warren in 2019, but it didn’t go anywhere since there is overwhelming bipartisan support for the US to have the ability to attack a country with nuclear weapons. Currently, the only nuclear powers that have a no first use policy are China and India.

“Threatening to use nuclear weapons first makes America less safe because it increases the chances of a miscalculation or an accident,” Warren said in a statement. “There are no winners in a nuclear war, and the US should never start one.”

“The United States should never initiate a nuclear war,” Smith said in a statement on the bill. “This bill would strengthen deterrence while reducing the chance of nuclear use due to miscalculation or misunderstanding.”