Norton Introduces Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act of 2019, which would require the United States to sign and ratify an international agreement to disable and dismantle America's nuclear weapons, strictly control fissile material and radioactive waste, and use nuclear-free energy. The United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was drafted in 2017 and approved by 122 nations, would qualify as an international agreement. Norton has introduced similar bills each year since 1994, after D.C.'s Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion ballot initiative passed in 1993. The goal is to convert the United States to a peace economy, which would occur when the President certifies to Congress that all countries possessing nuclear weapons have begun elimination under an international treaty or other legal agreement.

"Our bill is as timely as ever," Norton said. "Although the United States possesses one of the largest nuclear arsenals, there are still plans to spend trillions of dollars more on these doomsday weapons while urgent domestic needs, including health care, infrastructure, and clean energy, face funding shortfalls. The United States can reestablish our moral leadership in the world by redirecting these funds to urgent domestic issues, not preparing for human extinction."

"Congresswoman Norton has been one of the few voices showing courageous leadership on this issue for several years," said International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Executive Director Beatrice Fihn. "We now have a nuclear ban treaty that provides a clear path to realize the vision the Congresswoman has been presenting. Her strong support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is an example for all US political leaders and an important message to other nations who are leading on this issue."

ICAN is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaign coalition that works to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.

Norton's bill provides that funds otherwise used for nuclear weapons be redirected to other key investments, such as health care, infrastructure, and creating carbon-free, nuclear-free energy. According to the United Nations, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is "a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination."

###