Washington (February 4, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, today released the following statement urging the Trump administration to recommit the United States to arms control agreements to prevent a new nuclear arms race.

Senator Markey’s statement comes as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is set to expire on Thursday; with New START’s expiration, there will be no legal limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces, reversing decades of work to reduce the risk of nuclear war. Last year, Senator Markey introduced a resolution pushing the Trump administration to work with Russia to replace New START.

“The expiration of New START brings great risk for a dangerous and costly nuclear arms race between the United States, Russia and China,” said Senator Markey. “The Trump administration’s aggressive foreign policy posture makes it even more likely that Washington and Moscow will increase their nuclear arsenals, and that China will follow. As the Doomsday Clock ticks closer and closer to midnight, we must replace New START as soon as we can. We cannot wait any longer.”

As a founder of the national Nuclear Freeze movement, Senator Markey has worked for decades to end the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

• In May 2020, in response to fears of a return to nuclear testing, Senator Markey sent a letter to President Donald Trump arguing there was no justification to restart nuclear testing.
• In 1986, then-Representative Markey co-authored an amendment that passed in the House of Representatives to establish a moratorium on all nuclear tests in excess of one kiloton, provided the Soviet Union observed similar limits. This provision laid a vital foundation for the subsequent moratorium on all U.S. nuclear tests and for the negotiation of the CTBT.

Senator Markey has long championed deep and verifiable reductions in nuclear arsenals.

• Last month, Senator Markey published an op-ed warning about the dangers of the Trump administration resuming nuclear testing and urging the U.S. to accept Russia’s proposal to adhere to the New START for an additional year.
• In November, Senator Markey wrote to the Trump administration, urging it to refrain from restarting the U.S.’s nuclear testing program.
• Also in November, Senator Markey and Joaquin Castro (TX-20) wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to include the strongest possible “gold standard” nonproliferation measures in any nuclear cooperation agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to foreclose any pathway to a nuclear weapon.
• In October, Senator Markey published an op-ed detailing the accuracy with which director Kathryn Bigelow’s new film, “A House of Dynamite,” presents the dangers of nuclear war and the risks of depending on unreliable missile defenses at the expense of a nuclear security policy centered on arms reduction and non-proliferation. He also spoke with Bigelow about the film, including takeaways for the American public and policymakers.
• Also in October, Senator Markey introduced the No Nuclear Testing Act, which would use Congress’s power of the purse to deny the Trump administration from restarting nuclear testing.
• In July, Senator Markey introduced the Senate companion to H.Res.317, urging the United States to lead the world in halting the nuclear arms race.
• In February, Senator Markey introduced a resolution to recommit the United States to arms control, one year ahead of the expiration of New START.
• In January, Senator Markey reintroduced a bill with Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) to ensure that no president can start a nuclear war without congressional approval.

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