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Last Updated on February 28, 2026.

WASHINGTON – In response to the lapse of New START, Win Without War Deputy Director Shayna Lewis released the following statement:

“At midnight, all legally binding limits on the world’s two largest nuclear stockpiles will disappear — no caps on deployed warheads, no restrictions on delivery systems, and no inspections to provide transparency or reduce the risk of miscalculation.

“This dangerous outcome was not inevitable. The paths to extend New START, the last bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russian governments, were clear: Caps on our nuclear arsenals could have been extended by executive agreement. Renewed diplomacy could have set a course for the next generation of nuclear arms control. Instead, the Trump administration has chosen to usher in an era of untold nuclear risk. 

“In place of New START, the Trump administration is preparing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on new, unnecessary nuclear weapons without meaningful oversight. The president has recently downsized the State and Energy Department bureaus responsible for nuclear security, arms control, and nonproliferation. At the same time, he is dismantling federal and state environmental justice programs — some of the last remaining tools communities have to demand transparency, participation, and accountability for dangerous and harmful nuclear weapons production.  

“We know where this goes. The end of New START leaves the people everywhere less safe. Without limits, transparency, or dialogue, the risk of escalation, misunderstanding, and error increases dramatically — all to a catastrophic end. Congress must step in to reassert oversight and demand a strategy that prioritizes restraint, diplomacy, and public safety over secrecy and unchecked militarization.” 

Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for a progressive foreign policy in the United States.

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February 4, 2026