In a welcome move, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the new START arms-control treaty with Russia on Sept. 16, sending the agreement to the entire Senate for its "consent and approval."
It is not clear when that vote will occur, but final approval of New START should not depend on whether Republicans have reclaimed a majority in the Senate following November's midterm elections. The treaty is a welcome step forward in the process of reducing the number of nuclear weapons. It should be ratified.
New START was signed, after extended negotiations, by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last April. The treaty reduces by about 30 percent the two country's arsenals of nuclear warheads, missiles and launchers. Critics complain that the treaty merely ratifies steps that the two countries are taking unilaterally and that much more can be done to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world. They are right.