Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement on President Trump’s plan to withdraw the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty:

“President Trump withdrawing the United States from the INF treaty would be a strategic mistake that would weaken our national security and the security of our key allies. Since the Cold War, this arms-control agreement has banned an entire class of dangerous nuclear weapons, reducing the threat of nuclear war.

“Russia has violated this treaty for several years, and we must take strong diplomatic actions to address that violation. However, withdrawing from the treaty will only accelerate a nuclear arms race, leaving us far less safe.

“The United States is already investing more than $1 trillion to modernize our nuclear arsenal, including developing a new air-launched cruise missile and a dangerous ‘low-yield’ ballistic missile. We don’t need to spend more money on more nuclear weapons.

“President Trump should be leading nonproliferation efforts around the world, not undermining existing treaties. Rather than abandon another nuclear agreement, he should be working with our NATO allies to counter Russia’s deployment of banned weapons and search for ways to reduce both countries’ nuclear arsenals.”

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