Washington—Today, 36 U.S. Senators released a letter promising to oppose ratification of any treaty during a lame-duck session. Heritage Action released the following statement from CEO Michael A. Needham:
Today's announcement ensures American sovereignty will not be eroded by last-minute negotiations involving lame-duck Senators. We applaud the 36 Senators for promising to avoid past lame-duck mistakes and urge their colleagues to make a similar pledge.
In 2010, the Senate ratified the dangerously-flawed New START during a lame-duck session. The treaty, which was opposed by 10 senators-elect, only garnered the necessary votes after President Obama promised additional—and much needed—money for modernizing America's nuclear arsenal. Two years later, that promise remains unfulfilled, but the treaty remains in effect. To make matters worse, predictions that the treaty favored Russia appear true, as Russia's saber rattling has only intensified.
Heritage Action will continue to educate Senators and their constituents on the dangers surrounding treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the U.N. Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA).
Related:
Heritage Action: Stop LOST
Heritage: Ratification of the Disabilities Convention Would Erode American Sovereignty
Heritage: The U.S. Should Withdraw from the U.N.'s "Programme of Action" on Small Arms