Featured image: Melissa Parke (left) and Mary Dickson speak to staff of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, July 10, 2025. PHOTO: Seth Shelden, ICAN
ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke and nuclear test cancer survivor Mary Dickson spoke to staff of some of the more progressive Members of Congress at a special briefing to mark the 80th anniversary of the first nuclear explosion, the so-called “Trinity” test, which took place in New Mexico on July 16th, 1945. The briefing was hosted by Rep. Ilhan Omar, Deputy Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and planned for Members of Congress themselves to attend. But after a last minute change of plan by the Republican leadership of the House, Members of Congress were given the week off, and they all went home to their Districts, leaving only staff available to attend the briefing in DC.
It was thus a much smaller and less formal affair than originally intended. Nevertheless, since staff are the ones able to follow all the issues and make concrete recommendations to their Members of Congress, all was not lost!
A staffer from Rep. Doggett’s office, for instance, had this to say in a follow-up email after attending the briefing: “I thought the briefing was incredibly important and moving and I wrote a memo on it for our director in charge of this topic. I mentioned to her all the reasons that were mentioned on why nuclear disarmament is crucial and made it clear what the Norton bill was calling for. I also made sure to explain how the CPC was calling on the congressman to attend the Special Order Hours on July 23rd. I will do everything I can to support the movement and if there are any more related briefings please let me know.”
Other staffers were equally enthusiastic, including from several offices who, like Rep. Doggett, have not yet signed onto Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Nuclear Abolition and Conversion bill (H.R.1888) or signed the ICAN Pledge in support of the TPNW. It’s too early to tell how many of them might join the bill and/or sign the Pledge in the coming days or weeks, but Norton’s bill has at least one more co-sponsor than it did before the briefing: Rep. Shri Thanedar was not represented at the briefing, but our invitation at least reminded him to finally add his name to Norton’s bill.
That brings the total number of Representatives in the current Congress unequivocally calling for the US to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons up to 9 (Reps. McGovern, Omar, Tlaib, Casar, Pingree, Ramirez, Schakowsky, Thanedar and Delegate Norton – Grijalva has died since signing on). That’s not nearly enough, so if your Rep. is not on this list, write to them today and urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 1888!