The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining check on U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, expired on February 5, 2026.

Now that it's gone, the world's two biggest nuclear powers are free — and incentivized — to build as many new nuclear weapons as they want with no oversight, no transparency, and no safeguards.

We already know this path leads to global devastation. That’s why for 50 years, people have fought to avoid that fate.

The last nuclear arms race was as dangerous as it was wasteful: It pushed our world to the brink of nuclear war. Nuclear weapons tests destroyed ecosystems and poisoned entire communities for generations. Billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars were redirected to war profiteers over resources for communities and working people.

A safer path is still possible — but only if leaders choose it. Russia has proposed extending observance of the treaty’s limits while negotiating a longer-term deal, and President Trump himself has said in the past he supports maintaining these limits. Yet Trump reportedly rejected a recent extension offered by the Russian government.

Letting the New START lapse without a clear plan risks triggering a new arms race before anything better is in place. Maintaining limits and transparency now would help prevent unnecessary danger while negotiations continue — but this requires sustained pressure and action from Congress, which is why lawmakers need to hear from you now.

Time is running out. Click “Start Writing” to urge your Senators and Representatives to publicly support U.S.-Russia negotiations to maintain New START limits and verification, and to oppose any resumption of U.S. explosive nuclear testing.