Feinstein opposes nuclear build up, and wants to prevent the President from launching a nuclear strike without Congressional approval

Our FCNL Advocacy Team paid a visit on Senator Feinstein's office this week, where we were pleased to learn that she supports Senate Bill 200, which would prohibit the President from ordering a preemptive nuclear strike without congressional authorization. She also supports a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and opposes funding for new nuclear weapons. (See her letter below.)

I am thrilled that Feinstein sees how important it is to prevent the President (any President) from having the power to start a nuclear war without oversight. This seems like a no-brainer, yet most members of Congress don't see why this kind of oversight as an essential part of their job. I'm glad that Feinstein is wise enough to do what the Constitution and common sense require.

We met with two of Senator Feinstein's field reps, Cameron Onumah and Jeanette Cheng. I've met with Cameron several times before, and we invited him to be a panelist  on an ICUJP Justice Luncheon focusing on torture since Senator Feinstein has been a vocal opponent of torture when she was on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Cameron is a person of  faith who is very articulate and bright. He did an excellent job as a panelist.

We told Cameron we'd like the Senator to speak out against increases in the Pentagon budget, and he agreed to conveyour request to Senator Feinstein. We presented him with material from FCNL explaining why military spending is bad for the economy, our national interests, and  for life on this planet. Each of us shared personal stories about why we felt it was important that our tax dollars go to human needs like education and health care rather than to war.

We told him how concerned we were about waste and fraud in the Pentagon budget, and urged the Senator to support a bill like the "Audit the Pentagon Act of 2017." This bill calls for no increases in military spending until the Pentagon is audited just like other branches of government. An internal audit by the Pentagon revealed at least 125 billion in waste and fraud over the past five years. A full audit would probably reveal much more. This bill has the support of progressives like Barbara Lee and fiscal conservatives like Grover Norquist.

We told Feinstein's aides we are  part of a nation-wide campaign to urge our Congress not to increase the military budget. Over 30 people visited Senator Feinstein's office in DC a week ago,  450 people took part in over 200 office visits and had face-to-face encounters with 55 elected officials. We have Advocacy Teams in 35 states, in red as well as blue districts, all urging our elected officials not to increase Pentagon spending.  Trillions have been spent on wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East over the last decades and what do we have to show for our money? The biggest refugee crisis since WW II, millions dead and political chaos everywhere.

As our FCNL bumper sticker states so clearly and persuasively, WAR IS STILL NOT THE ANSWER.

Left to right: Sarah Eggers, Kit Bell, Arthur Kegerreis, Anthony Manousos, Edie Salisburgy, Jeanette Cheng, Bertha Downs, and Cameron Onumah

Over 30 Californians met with Senator Feinstein's aide in the Atrium of the Hart Senate Building.

Dear Mr. Manousos:

Thank you for contacting me regarding nuclear weapons.  I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.  

I understand you are concerned that President Trump may order a preemptive nuclear strike.  You may be interested to know that I am a cosponsor of the “Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017” (S. 200), introduced by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA).  This bill would prohibit the President from ordering a preemptive nuclear strike without an explicit congressional authorization.  The bill is currently pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, of which I am not a member. 

I believe the United States should continue to take a leadership role in halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons and reducing our nuclear weapons stockpile.  That is why I strongly supported the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia.  This treaty will reduce to historic lows the number of strategic nuclear weapons both countries can deploy.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have tried to bring fiscal discipline to nuclear weapons programs.  Rather than building new nuclear weapons, I believe we should extend the life of our existing arsenal, decommission those that are no longer necessary for deterrence, and upgrade the aging infrastructure necessary to keep these weapons safe and secure.

Unfortunately, it appears that President Trump does not share these views.  He has openly called for the United States to “greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability,” and in interviews he has advocated for a new nuclear arms race.  I believe this is a tremendously dangerous and irresponsible thing to do.  

On March 14, 2017, I joined 12 of my Senate colleagues in writing a letter to Secretary of Defense Mattis and Secretary of Energy Perry in opposition to a recent Defense Science Board report.  This report encouraged the Departments of Defense and Energy to build new, low-yield nuclear weapons and questioned their ability to maintain our nuclear warheads in the absence of testing.  We wholly rejected the idea of resuming nuclear testing and building new nuclear weapons.  You can view the text of the letter on my website at https://go.usa.gov/xX9tE.

Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at feinstein.senate.gov.  You can also follow me online at YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at feinstein.senate.gov/newsletter.

Best regards.

Sincerely yours,


  Dianne Feinstein
         United States Senator