This month marks the 81st anniversary of the U.S.  nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Our action this week is reminding our members of Congress of our opposition to nuclear weapons and our advocacy for nuclear disarmament.

The expiration of the Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the United States and Russia in early February 2026 poses a pressing threat to global security and nuclear norms. Russia and the U.S. remain the world’s two largest nuclear powers; and with no treaty in place, there is no longer a ceiling on nuclear stockpiles for the two countries, nor are there verification mechanisms in place. The U.S. must pursue a new nuclear agreement and pursue a world without nuclear weapons. 

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention passed a resolution renouncing the use of nuclear weapons and expressed its support for “pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed nations to eliminate their arsenals as established in the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” Our faith calls us to advocate for a more peaceful Earth.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Sen. Ed Markey have reintroduced a resolution (H.Res.317/S.Res.323), calling on the president to “lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race.” This legislation would also call on the president to:

• Actively pursue a nuclear-free world and engage in good faith negotiations with other nuclear-armed states to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
• Lead the effort to have all nuclear-armed states renounce the option of using nuclear weapons first.
• Implement effective checks and balances on the president’s sole authority to initiate nuclear use.
• End the Cold War-era hair-trigger alert method, which increases the risk of catastrophic miscalculation in a crisis.
• End plans to produce and deploy new nuclear warheads and delivery systems, which would reduce taxpayer burdens.
• Consider past and current environmental and societal implications of nuclear weapons usage by providing health monitoring, compensation, and medical care to those who have and will be harmed by nuclear weapons usage.
• Plan a just economic transition for the civilian and military workforce involved in the development, testing, production, management, and dismantlement of nuclear weapons to communities that are economically dependent on nuclear weapons production and management.

We pray and advocate for our leaders to act by supporting nonproliferation. Continued diplomatic efforts are vital to the mission of The Episcopal Church and all who fight for a more peaceful world. Please join us in reaching out to your senators and representatives to urge them to support nuclear disarmament.

Options to Take Action:

1. 1. Sign an action letter at the Action Table on Sunday.
   2. Download an action letter that you can sign and mail. Find the letter for if you live within CA here. Find the letter for if you live outside of CA here.
   3. Participate in the action on line at the Episcopal Public Policy Network website.

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For personal actions or information, here are some helpful resources:

Contact the White House at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ or leave a phone comment at 1-202-456-1111.

If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

To find contact information for your California State Senator or California State Assemblymember check here: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.