Last Wednesday evening, President Trump made an imprecise statement about resuming tests of nuclear weapons. (Use this link to read a BBC article on this topic.)
It is unclear whether he meant testing of nuclear warheads or the delivery systems. Any testing would violate the Comprehensive Test Ban treaty and would have negative environmental impacts. It would also overturn United States policy that has been in place since 1992 when Republican George HW Bush was president. To do so without any substantive justification or notification of Congressional leadership is grossly irresponsible.
Most importantly, continued reliance on nuclear weapons is immoral, and in 2023 the Vatican urged, “all States to continue adhering to the zero-yield moratorium on nuclear testing.”
Pax Christi USA joins many others in urging restraint and calling for renewed arms control negotiations. At a minimum, the US government should affirm that it will observe the New START treaty, which expires in three months, during negotiations.
Read more:
- Seattle’s Archbishop Paul Etienne: The ‘simple yet demanding’ work of peacebuilding in a nuclear-armed world, America magazine, October 28, 2025
- Arms Control Association responds to Trump’s reckless nuclear testing remarks, October 30, 2025
- 100 Days to the Brink: Why the New START countdown demands our leadership from Back from the Brink
Take action:
- Use this link from Back from the Brink to send letters to Congress.
- Use this link for guidance from Back from the Brink about contacting local media.
- Pax Christi USA also urges our members to write to your bishops, asking them to speak out against this new arms race.
- Host a screening for “A House of Dynamite,” a new film on Netflix that dramatizes the real risks of nuclear war. Use this link from Back from the Brink to find a screening package that can help you host a gathering to watch and discuss the film.
- Join Pax Christi USA’s four-session book group to discuss “Atomic Pilgrim,” the new memoir by Pax Christi Pacific Northwest member Jim Thomas.
Use this link to read more about our work on nuclear disarmament.