Friends Committee on National Legislation On the Road to Push New START

The Friends Committee on National Legislation is leading a major grassroots effort to educate citizens and editorial boards around the country about the New START treaty.  FCNL's grassroots efforts are part of a larger national grassroots campaign of NGOs to ensure New START is ratified as soon as possible.  

FCNL has been focusing its resources in states with Republican senators who are undecided on the New START treaty.  Senators Collins and Snowe of Maine are two undecided Republicans who could be invaluable supporters of New START.  Joe Volk, executive secretary of FCNL, recently completed a speaking tour in Maine, urging Maine residents to contact Sens. Collins and Snowe in support of New START.  Coinciding with his visit, three Maine newspapers endorsed New START: The Kennebec Journal, The Morning Sentinel, and The Times Record.

Volk is quoted in the Times Sentinel editorial today, saying:

"Aside from the benefits of reducing both countries’ nuclear arsenals and greatly enhanced verification protocols, the New START treaty is an essential step in the process of 'confidence building' that’s needed to move forward on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and other initiatives to rid our world of nuclear weapons."

FCNL's Legislative Representative David Culp has also been doing important grassroots work in Alaska, home of undecided Republican Senator Murkowski and Kentucky, home of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

FCNL's work will put pressure on senators to "get off the fence" and "use their well-honed bipartisan instincts and find common ground on this issue for the good of the nation."