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Norton to Be Honored by Physicians for Social Responsibility for Her Work on Nuclear Disarmament, Tonight

November 8, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will receive a Visionary Leader Award from Physicians for Social Responsibility tonight, Thursday, November 8, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). Norton will be honored for her work to advance nuclear weapon disarmament and abolition. Each Congress, Norton introduces her Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act to require the United States to negotiate an international agreement to disable and dismantle its nuclear weapons and to redirect the funds to human and infrastructure needs, such as housing, health care, Social Security and the environment. The bill would take effect when the President certifies to Congress that all countries possessing nuclear weapons have either eliminated them or begun such elimination under established international requirements. Norton has introduced a version of the bill since 1994, after working with the District of Columbia residents who were responsible for the nuclear disarmament ballot initiative passed by D.C. voters in 1993.

"I thank Physicians for Social Responsibility for this wonderful honor," Norton said. "Nuclear war is the greatest threat to the future of our planet, and recent escalation by the Trump administration reinforces the importance of our bill. The United States, the world's largest holder of nuclear weapons, has the ultimate responsibility to take far more leadership to protect future generations by reducing our nuclear stockpile and encouraging other countries to follow suit."