The following alert is shared from our colleagues with Back from the Brink.
The threat of the US restarting nuclear weapons tests is now a chilling and urgent reality.
Unlike abstract and wonky arms control debates, this issue is simple and concrete: Congress controls federal funding, and as a co-equal branch has the power to block any funding toward new nuclear tests.
A new nuclear arms race also affects everyone on this planet and connects across constituencies, from environmental justice to national security to fiscal responsibility.
By mobilizing now behind this joint action, we can demonstrate visible public opposition across the political spectrum, shape media narratives, and give members of Congress the political cover to act.
Why this issue is more urgent than ever
- In October 2025, Donald Trump signaled his willingness to restart nuclear testing.
- The last remaining nuclear treaty between the United States and Russia (New START) just expired, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century. State Department Under Secretary Thomas G. DiNanno, said in an address to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that the treaty “placed unilateral constraints on the United States that were unacceptable.”
- Earlier this month, the US resurfaced a 2020 allegation that China had conducted an underground nuclear test, setting the stage for a potential return to US testing.
>>Use this link to email your representative now to urge them to block funding for any new nuclear weapons testing.
Without guardrails in place, the risk of a new nuclear arms race is greater than ever. And instead of pushing to rebuild these guardrails, the president has signaled a willingness to restart nuclear weapons tests.
There is no justification for explosive nuclear weapons testing, but there are potentially devastating consequences if we test again.
Other countries have already signaled that if the US resumes nuclear weapons testing, they will follow suit, further fueling the global nuclear arms race now underway.
Congress has the power to block any funding that could be used for new nuclear weapons tests, and we must ensure that our elected leaders stop Trump from dragging us into a disastrous global arms race.
>>Use this link to email your representative now to urge them to block funding for any new nuclear weapons testing.