On the recordDecember 16, 2010
I am grateful for the work our chairman, Chairman Kerry, has put into this treaty over many months now--in fact, many years when you consider his work as a member and now chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. We are grateful for the debate we have just heard. These are critically important issues we are talking about, and that is one of the reasons why it is critically important we make sure the American people know what the stakes are. Without ratification of this treaty, we are, in fact, less safe than we should be. I think the American people understand that. I also believe the American people want to make sure that even upon ratification of this treaty, the New START treaty, that in no way will our security be undermined as relates to our nuclear arsenal. We can say, without qualification and without hesitation, that ratification of the New START treaty doesn't in any way undermine the safety, security and effectiveness and even the reliability of our nuclear arsenal.
