Women Against War is happy to report that our lobbying efforts added another co-sponsor, Congressman Paul Tonko, to The Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act of 2025. Congressman Tonko represents most of the area where members of our New York State Capital District peace group live. On December 8, 2025, six members of our committee doing work on nuclear weapons issues, our Pathways to Peace Committee, met with him and his Chief of Staff, Brendan Larkin, on Zoom. Congressman Tonko has done work on green energy in the House, so we stressed the conversion potential of this bill as well as the multiple dangers of current US nuclear policy, including Trump’s sole authority over the nuclear arsenal. We thanked him again for earlier agreeing to our request to co-sponsor the Back from the Brink resolution, House Res 317.
Since the beginning of Covid we have met with Tonko multiple times on Zoom which seems easier to schedule than when he is in the district. We have also formed a good relationship with Brendan Larkin and easily make requests and relay thanks through him.