Price and Franks Urge Senate Leaders Not to Pass New START During Lame Duck

December 1, 2010 — Congressmen Tom Price (GA-06), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), and Trent Franks (AZ-02), Chairman of the RSC's National Security Working Group, sent a letter this week to Senate leadership regarding the pending New START treaty. The letter raises concerns over comments made by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggesting that efforts should be made to ratify the treaty during the lame duck session. Franks and Price urge the Senate to delay consideration of the treaty until adequate consideration can be given to all provisions of the treaty, and specific concerns, such as U.S. missile defense concessions and the Administration's lack of transparency in the negotiation process, can be thoroughly addressed in the new 112th Congress.


The letter states, "Without proper hearings and Senate access to the treaty negotiating record, it is impossible for the Senate to attain a clear understanding of the treaty's provisions and its effect on our allies. It would be unwise to move forward so quickly and commit the U.S. to a treaty that only makes it more difficult for the House, along with the Senate, to draft defense authorizations and appropriations that will meet the nation's essential security requirements."


Price stated, “New START should not be rushed through the Senate during the lame duck session of Congress. Any treaty, especially one that raises so many national security concerns, deserves more focus and scrutiny than Democrats have allowed to date. If START is truly worthy of ratification, Senator Reid and President Obama should have no problem allowing the next Congress to take a closer look.”

Franks commented, "In a time when North Korea is increasingly belligerent, Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons, and terrorists are actively trying to acquire and use those weapons to carry out attacks that would make 9/11 pale in comparison, the New START Treaty is one of the most important issues under consideration in the Senate right now. Senate leadership and President Obama's insistence on ramming the treaty through during the lame duck session, without providing adequate time for thorough consideration of all its provisions, belies their supposed commitment to the urgency of this issue and its importance to our national security. It is critical that they do not ratify New START during the lame duck session and that they postpone any consideration of the treaty until the 112th Congress."

Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.