Congress

The Norton Bill:

The Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act of 2023, H.R.2775

Introduced by: Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) on April 20, 2023. Bill number: 2775. Text: here

Additional Cosponsors:  Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI)

Summary: The bill calls on the President of the United States to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, work with the other nuclear-armed nations to verify the complete elimination of all nuclear weapons from all countries, and to use all the freed-up human and financial resources to address the climate crisis and other pressing social needs.

History: This bill has been introduced by DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton in every session of Congress since 1994, in response to a citizens’ initiative led by the Proposition One Committee and anti-nuclear campaigners and supported by a majority of voters in Washington, DC. Since 2019, the bill has referenced the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and the 2021 version of the bill (H.R. 2850) was co-sponsored by Reps. Jim McGovern, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barbara Lee, Mark Pocan, Carolyn Maloney, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Andy Levin, Raul Grijalva, Mondaire Jones and Jan Schakowsky.

Changes in the 2023 bill:

1. H.R.2775 calls on the President to “provide leadership by signing the TPNW”;
2. It calls on the Senate to ratify the TPNW “when it is clear that this will result in the dismantlement and elimination of all nuclear weapons in every country”;
3. It calls on the US to redirect resources currently allocated to nuclear weapons when those countries have begun the “verifiable and irreversible elimination of such weapons”;
4. And it prioritizes the redirection of resources for “purposes related to addressing the climate crisis” as well as for other human and infrastructure needs, and for encouraging other countries to do the same.

Organizational endorsements so far:

  • Sierra Club
  • Peace Action
  • Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
  • RootsAction.org
  • World Beyond War
  • CodePink
  • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom USA
  • NuclearBan.US
  • Proposition One Committee
  • Mass Peace Action
  • Nuclear-Free Future Coalition
  • Coalition for Peace Action
  • WNC4Peace
  • West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition
  • Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace
  • PSR Kansas City
  • Beyond Nuclear
  • Dominican Sisters – Grand Rapids
  • Grandmothers for Peace International
  • San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility
  • Georgia WAND Education Fund
  • Reject Raytheon Asheville
  • Arlington United for Justice with Peace
  • Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
  • Peace Action New York State
  • Traprock Center for Peace and Justice
  • Episcopal Peace Fellowship

To add your organization to this list, sign and send this letter to: Trent (dot) Holbrook (at) mail (dot) house (dot) gov

Write to your Member of Congress:

Please write to your US Rep and urge them to support the abolition of nuclear weapons and the use of all those squandered resources to instead seriously address the climate crisis while there is still time. Nuclear war and climate change are two existential threats that need to be fully and urgently addressed. We can solve them both at once by making the transition from nuclear weapons to climate solutions. Members of Congress have a huge responsibility to safeguard the planet, but many of them are ill-informed about these issues and rely on big corporate donors not only for their re-election but also for advice on matters of public policy. They need to hear from their constituents and not only from the companies that make their profit by developing and maintaining nuclear weapons. In most cases, Members of Congress will only accept messages, let alone respond to them, if they are from people living in their District. Please fill out the address form to be assigned to the right Representative and click “Start Writing” to edit your letter.