Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, currently the New START treaty establishes limits on missile defense. Placing constraints on future U.S. defense capabilities should not be up for debate and should not be placed in a treaty on strategic offensive nuclear weapons. Russia is trying to force the United States to choose between missile defense and the treaty. If that is the case, I choose missile defense. We cannot tie our hands behind our back and risk the national security of our Nation and our allies.

This treaty is a bilateral agreement between Russia and the United States. It is clear that there is a disagreement about the actual agreement made. Russia continues to claim that the treaty successfully limits our ability to defend ourselves. Supporters of the treaty claim the limitation on missile defense in the preamble is not binding and that it is legally insignificant and a throwaway provision.

We are talking about the preamble. Like the preamble to the Constitution, ``we the people,'' this is meaningful. Some things we hold dear. The safe and the smart decision would be to eliminate the disagreement by getting rid of that provision entirely.

I urge all colleagues to support the McCain-Barrasso amendment.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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