Senate rejects nuclear test-ban treaty

On October 13, by a vote of 48 to 51, the Senate rejected ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which would ban nuclear weapons testing once all 44 nuclear-capable nations ratify the treaty. (See HUMAN EVENTS, October 29, cover box and page 16.) For the U.S. to ratify an international treaty, it takes a two-thirds majority of senators present and the approval of the President.

Realizing he did not have the votes for ratification, President Clinton had urged a delay of the vote rather than suffer a defeat. Senate Republicans were willing to agree to a delay if Clinton would, in writing, promise not to bring the treaty up next year, but he would not do so.

In the floor debate, Sen. Russ Feingold (D.Wis.) echoed Clinton's request for delay while expressing support for the treaty. "The consequences of its defeat will be felt from Moscow to New Delhi to Beijing to Baghdad. And this body, the greatest deliberative body in the world, would be sending the message that we did not want to spend more time on one of the most important issues facing the world today."

Treaty opponent Sen. John Warner (R.-Va.) also called for a delay in the vote, fearing that immediate passage would threaten national security. "Simply put, the CTBT, at this time, jeopardizes our ability to maintain the safety and reliability of our nuclear arsenal-rhaps not right away but almost certainly over the long run. According to Dr. James Robinson, director of Sandia National Laboratory: 'To forgo testing is to live with uncertainty.'"

Sen. Jon Kyl (R.-Ariz.) rejected the arguments for delay and called for immediate defeat of the treaty. "We should vote precisely because the world would get a desirable message that the Senate took a stand that treaties such as this must meet at least minimum standards for sensible arms control. The CTBT fails that test. It is a sloppy, altogether substandard piece of work, and it deserves rejection."

Sen. Bob Smith (I.-N.H.) opposed the treaty because it could put the U.S. at a strategic disadvantage. "it you can't verify what the other side is doing, then you are at a disadvantage because we have the superiority of the arsenal. So if we don't verify that they are not testing, and we don't keep our stockpile up to speed because of that, and we don't know it is reliable and they do, then we are gradually losing that advantage. "

Sen. Joe Biden (D.-Del.) rejected that criterion. "To impose this utterly unrealistic standard of verifiability on Bill Clinton's test-ban treaty, when no such standard was imposed on Ronald Reagan's INF Treaty, may be an effective 'gotcha' in politics, but it clearly does not look to the national interest of the United States."

A "yes" vote was a vote to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, thus ending all U.S. nuclear weapons testing. A "no" vote was a vote against ratification.

FOR THE TREATY: 48

REPUBLICANS FOR (4): Chafee, Jeffords, Smith (Ore.) and Specter.

DEMOCRATS FOR (44): Akaka, Baucus, Bayh, Biden, Bingaman, Boxer, Breaux, Bryan, Cleland, Conrad, Daschle, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Edwards, Feingold, Feinstein, Graham (Fla.), Harkin, Hollings, Inouye, Johnson, Kennedy, Kerrey (Neb.), Kerry (Mass.), Kohl, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Lieberman, Lincoln, Mikulski, Moynihan, Murray, Reed (R.I.). Reid (Nev.), Robb, Rockefeller, Sarbanes, Schumer, Torricelli, Wellstone and Wyden.

AGAINST THE TREATY: 51

REPUBLICANS AGAINST (50): Abraham, Allard, Ashcroft, Bennett, Brownback, Bond, Bunning, Burns, Campbell, Cochran, Collins, Coverdell, Craig, Crapo, DeWine, Domenici, Enzi, Fitzgerald, Frist, Gorton, Gramm (Tex.), Grams (Minn.), Grassley, Gregg, Hagel, Hatch, Helms, Hutchinson (Ark.), Hutchison (Tex.), Inhofe, Kyl, Lott, Lugar, Mack, McCain, McConnell, Murkowski, Nickles, Roberts, Roth, Santorum, Sessions, Shelby, Snowe, Stevens, Thomas, Thompson, Thurmond, Voinovich and Warner.

INDEPENDENTS AGAINST (1): Smith (N.H.). NOT VOTING (1): Byrd.

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Nov 12, 1999
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