Dear Carol,
Developments on the New START treaty are coming fast and furious as we move closer to the critical vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Hearings began on Capitol Hill last week, and a long bipartisan line of generals, admirals, former Secretaries of State, and other national security figures marched through to show unanimous support for ratification of the treaty. You can read more about New START, the landscape, and why this is important on our blog.
The senators have gotten the facts. Now they need the grassroots pressure from you to compel them to take a stand. There are many things you and your organization can do this summer to support ratification of New START. The treaty could come to the floor any time after the committee holds a vote, so the next few weeks are a crucial time to flood senators' offices with calls, emails and letters urging them to vote in favor of ratification,
- Generate emails, handwritten letters, and phone calls to your senators. Click here to download a sample letter with talking points. And here are some recent quotes to use.
- Set up a letter-writing table at your next event and collect personalized, hand-written letters based on the samples above. Hand-written letters are one of the most powerful ways to influence a senator.
- Start up a call-in campaign to get a wave of phone calls into your senators' offices.
- Find a faith leader, or state legislator or other community leaders and set up a meeting with your senator's office to deliver the hand-written letters in person. Download this Guide to Congressional Visits for samples and tips, or contact me if you would like some help.
Every senator needs to hear from us, whether Republican or Democrat. The stronger the consensus is on the New START treaty, the better positioned we are for next steps, like the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty or further reductions in US arsenals.
Finally, in case you haven't heard, Cara Bautista has left her position as coordinator to start graduate school. I am excited to join you as the new coordinator, and look forward to working with all of you as we make progress toward ridding the world of nuclear weapons in the coming year.
Sincerely,
Katie Heald
Coordinator, Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World
kheald@nuclearweaponsfree.org
P.S. A small request:
Did you or your organization participate in the Week of Action for New START in May? If you did, please send me a quick email telling me what you did and how it went. We would love to get your feedback to help us plan future campaigns and activities for the Campaign.
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The Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World advocates practical, multilateral steps to eliminate the nuclear threat. We work to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, end the pursuit of new warheads, and ensure that existing stockpiles are verifiably dismantled. Click here to see the current list of more than 100 Coalition Partners. The Campaign is possible through generous support of the Colombe Foundation and people like you.
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