Bill Text (PDF)

Washington (December 4, 2025) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08) and John Garamendi (CA-08), co-chairs of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, and Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02) today reintroduced the bicameral Hastening Arms Limitation Talks (HALT) Act, legislation outlining a vision for a twenty-first century freeze on the testing, production, and deployment of nuclear weapons. The reintroduction of the HALT Act comes at a time of reckless nuclear policy from the Trump administration, with President Trump threatening to resume nuclear testing and the last U.S.-Russian arms reduction treaty—New START—on the verge of extinction.

“The United States must lead the world in halting and reversing a nuclear arms race—not spur it on. The HALT Act is a commitment to responsible American leadership on nuclear policy,” said Senator Markey. “The world cannot afford another dangerous arms race fueled by fear, recklessness, and greed. The United States must lead with diplomacy in pursuing nuclear nonproliferation. This legislation charts a path back to the negotiating table, ensuring a safer global nuclear security environment.”

“We must recommit to a nuclear policy that prioritizes mutual disarmament and international cooperation before the last vestiges of the nuclear arms control regime disappears entirely,” said Rep. Beyer. “The President’s loose talk about restarting nuclear testing and pouring billions of dollars into unneeded, wasteful, and escalatory weapons platforms makes us all less safe. I commend Sen. Markey and Rep. McGovern for their leadership on this crucial legislation, which would pull us back from the brink of a new dangerous nuclear arms race that our nation and species cannot risk going through again.”

“The world is still moving in the wrong direction when it comes to nuclear disarmament and arms control. If we want to avoid catastrophe, the United States must take the lead in pushing for a global freeze on nuclear testing, production, and deployment,” said Rep. McGovern. “Every dollar poured into nuclear weapons pushes humanity closer to the brink and strengthens the hand of evil in the world. Senator Markey and I are calling for a renewed, 21st-century nuclear freeze movement—one that slows this dangerous arms race, upholds our treaty obligations, redirects resources toward improving people’s lives, and ultimately eliminates these weapons before they eliminate us.”

Specifically, the HALT Act would make it U.S. policy to seek negotiated steps to reduce the number and salience of nuclear weapons, including:

• An agreement on a verifiable freeze on the testing, production, and further deployment of all nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles;
• An agreement by the U.S. and Russia on a follow-on New START agreement to reduce nuclear arsenals and cover new kinds of strategic weapons;
• U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); and
• Prohibition of funds to prepare for or to conduct U.S. explosive nuclear-weapon testing in fiscal year 2026 or any future year.

As a founder of the national Nuclear Freeze movement, Senator Markey has long been a leading champion in the push for nuclear nonproliferation. Most recently:

• 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 urged 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 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 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.
• In July, Senator Markey introduced legislation 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 the New START treaty.
• In January, Senator Markey and Representative Ted Lieu (CA-36) reintroduced legislation to ensure that no American president can start a nuclear war without congressional approval.

###