Bob Menendez: “I rise in support of a treaty that I actually think is of vital importance to our national security, to our national…”

“I rise in support of a treaty that I actually think is of vital importance to our national security, to our national interests, and to our international reputation in the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. Let me first start off by recognizing Senator Kerry, the chairman of our Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Lugar, the ranking member. They have done an extraordinary job. I smile as I listen to some of my colleagues say it has not been reviewed enough, it has not been vetted enough. We have had an incredible number of sessions on the question of what the treaty contains and flushing out all of its points and points of view. In a very bipartisan way, the committee has worked assiduously to bring us to this point so that Members can make an informed decision. So I wish to salute the chairman for his incredible work in that regard. The original START treaty expired on December 5 of last year, 2009. So as of today, December 16, 2010, it has been 376 days since the United States lost the ability to conduct onsite inspections--lost it-- not knowing what has happened with those weapons. It has been 376 days since we lost our ability to monitor and verify Russia's nuclear arsenal. Now, I know some say our relationship with Russia has gotten a lot better. Yes, but it is their arsenal that we care about.”