Strong Show of Support for New START in Maine

The Maine Medical Association has passed the resolution for New START with the  help of the Maine Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), a Ploughshares Fund Grantee.  News of their vote has been passed on to both of Maine's Senators, Olympia Snow (R) and Susan Collins (R), in an open letter.  

As stated in their letter, the Treaty is "the most significant nuclear weapons treaty in more than a decade, New START will ensure that the United States can adequately monitor Russian nuclear weapons while reducing the number of deployed nuclear weapons in both countries' arsenal." 

The Senate is expected to vote on the Treaty following the November mid-term elections.  In order for New START to enter into force the Senate must ratify the Treaty with a vote of at least 67-33 meaning that 8 Republicans will have to vote in the affirmative.  

Such a strong show of bipartisan support from the Maine Medical Association, in a state with two Republican Senators, is an important step towards New START ratification and the resumption of transparency and reductions in American and Russian nuclear stockpiles.