Arms treaty stalls

last updated 8 January 2015

The nuclear-arms reduction treaty negotiated by President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev won’t come up for Senate ratification until the fall legislative session, after Republicans asked for more time to consider the agreement. The treaty, known as New Start, calls for Russia and the U.S. to modestly downsize their long-range nuclear arsenal and continue inspecting each other’s nuclear installations.

Republican senators want the administration to increase its spending on upgrades to America’s aging nuclear arsenal. At least 67 Senate votes are required for treaty ratification, but Obama is seeking a larger majority to signal broad bipartisan support.