Urging the United States to Lead a Global Effort to Halt and Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race
WHEREAS, more than 12,000 nuclear weapons – over 85% of them held by the United States and the Russian Federation – remain in the global nuclear arsenal and continue to pose an intolerable risk to humanity; and
WHEREAS, the last remaining U.S. – Russian arms control agreement, New START, expired on February 5, 2026, with no negotiations for a follow-on agreement underway, and for the first time in 50 years, there are no limits on the number of U.S. and Russian deployed nuclear weapons; and
WHEREAS, at the April 27, 2026 opening of the 5-year Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned: “Today, a state of collective amnesia has taken hold. Nuclear sabers rattle once more. Mistrust rules the day. Hard-won norms are eroding. Arms control is dying. Global military spending soared to $2.7 trillion last year…. For the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is on the rise. Nuclear testing is back on the table. Some governments are openly mulling the acquisition of these horrific weapons;” and
WHEREAS, the President’s proposed 2027 budget request seeks to raise spending on U.S. nuclear weapons by 12 percent to maintain and modernize its nuclear triad, expanding on previous administrations’ plans to develop new ballistic missile submarines, new silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, a new nuclear cruise missile, a modified gravity bomb, a new stealthy long-range strike bomber, and accompanying warheads for each delivery system, with modified or newly manufactured plutonium triggers; and
WHEREAS, the qualitative and quantitative nuclear modernization programs underway in the U.S., Russia, China, France, and the UK violate their NPT Article VI disarmament obligation, in force since 1970; and
WHEREAS, on May 1, 2026, at the NPT Review Conference, the head of the U.S. delegation declared: “Article VI of the Treaty is unambiguous. It obligates all NPT States Parties – including all five nuclear-weapon States – to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear disarmament. This is not a selective obligation. This is not an aspiration;” and
WHEREAS, Mayors for Peace, led by the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is working for a world without nuclear weapons, safe and resilient cities, and a culture of peace, in which peace is a priority for every individual, and as of May 1, 2026, had grown to 8,573 cities in 166 countries and territories, with 245 U.S. members; and
WHEREAS, a statement by mayors from across Europe and the United States adopted during the May 2026 Pact of Free Cities Summit in Bratislava emphasized that “[C]ities are not only administrative entities, but democratic communities capable of protecting freedom, solidarity, and the rule of law when these values come under pressure;” and
WHEREAS, Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein, in their 1955 Manifesto, notably concluded: “Remember your humanity and forget the rest,” and a similar sentiment was expressed in the September 26, 2025, U.S. Conference of Mayors Oklahoma City Declaration: “That we are humans first, Americans second, and partisans last;” and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on the Administration to meaningfully implement Article VI of the NPT without further delay, and to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war, move the world back from the nuclear brink, and halt and reverse a new global nuclear arms race; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference urges the Administration to engage in good faith negotiations with the other eight nuclear armed states, in particular Russia and China, to halt any further buildup of nuclear arsenals and to verifiably reduce and eliminate nuclear arsenals according to negotiated timetables; seek the renunciation by all nuclear-armed states of the option of using nuclear weapons first; implement effective checks and balances on the Commander in Chief’s sole authority to order the use of U.S. nuclear weapons; end the Cold War-era “hair-trigger alert” posture; end plans to produce and deploy new nuclear warheads and delivery systems; and maintain the de facto global moratorium on nuclear explosive testing; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference urges Congress to pass H. RES. 317, “Urging the United States to lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race” and S. RES. 323, “Urging the United States to lead a global effort to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race,” which call for the above measures; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference calls on its members to take action at the municipal level to raise public awareness about the growing dangers of nuclear war, the humanitarian and fiscal impacts of nuclear weapons, and the urgent need for good faith U.S. leadership in negotiating the global elimination of nuclear weapons by, for example, issuing a proclamation on September 26, the United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, planting seedlings from A-bombed trees, hosting A-bomb poster exhibits, and participating in the annual Mayors for Peace Children’s Art Competition; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference invites all of its members to join Mayors for Peace to help the organization reach its membership goal of 10,000 cities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference calls on the Administration and Congress to carefully weigh the immense costs of proposed nuclear modernization against the urgent domestic needs of American cities, and to ensure that finite federal resources are prioritized to adequately support vital municipal assistance programs, such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships.
Sponsored by:
Mayor Lacey Beaty (Beaverton, OR)
Mayor Larry Agran (Irvine, CA)
Mayor Martha Guerrero (West Sacramento, CA)
Mayor Adena Ishii (Berkeley, CA)
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz (Burnsville, MN)
Mayor Chris Koos (Normal, IL)
Mayor Martha Guerrero (West Sacramento, CA)