In-District Lobby Week: Make the Case for No First Use! March 21, 2019
PSR is joining forces with several other grassroots organizations in the United Against Nuclear War (UANW) coalition for an In-District Lobby Week, April 22-26, while most Members of Congress will be in their home states. What better time to make the health case for No First Use of nuclear weapons?
What: In-District Lobby Week on No First Use
When: April 22-26
Where: Your Member of Congress’s In-District Office
Call the in-district office for your U.S Representative and ask for a meeting with your Member of Congress during the April recess. This will be an opportunity to ask them to co-sponsor current legislation to establish an official U.S. policy of No First Use of nuclear weapons. You can also ask your Congressperson to stop funding first-strike nuclear weapons. As a fallback, meet with district staff if you are unable to get a meeting with the Representative.
This is a matter of human health and survival. Not only do most Americans not want the United States to ever initiate a nuclear war—the vast majority of Americans don’t want the United States to use nuclear weapons at all. No nation on earth, including ours, would be adequately prepared for a meaningful medical response in the event of a nuclear strike on an urban center. We all have a vested interest in preventing nuclear war, and it’s time for the United States to lead.
For the sake of human health and survival, the United States must commit to No First Use as a first step toward ridding the planet of these weapons altogether.
On January 30 of this year, Representative Adam Smith, Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the “No First Use Act” in the House (H.R. 921) and Senate (S. 272). They are seeking more support for their bold commitment to ensuring the health and safety of all families by establishing a U.S. policy of No First Use of nuclear weapons.
If your PSR chapter has been lining up endorsers for the Back from the Brink resolution, then by all means bring a list of those endorsers to your meeting with your Member of Congress. Even better, invite one or two people from endorsing organizations to join you. (Among other things, the Back from the Brink resolution calls for changing U.S. policy to No First Use.)
Ready to make the health case for No First Use during the In-District Lobby Week? Contact the district office for your U.S. Representative this week. To get the lowdown on important current legislation and find out what your U.S. Representative has co-sponsored, visit the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program “legislative tracker.” Visit the Back from the Brink website for a list of towns, churches and organizations that have endorsed Back from the Brink. For more information, including how to find other people in your area (if any) working on these issues, email Martin Fleck, PSR’s NWA Program Director, at mfleck@psr.org. Stay tuned for an action alert with more details, coming soon.