'It's Absolutely Terrifying': Rashida Tlaib Tears Into President's Power To Launch Nuclear Missiles

In House floor remarks before the Congressional recess, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spoke about nuclear weapons.

Transcript

00:00from Michigan, Ms. Tlaib. That's right. There is a lack of urgency. And we need to move with

00:07urgency because a nuclear war cannot be won and would have catastrophic human consequences.

00:13One warhead, one, has the power to wipe out an entire city. A full-scale nuclear war would

00:20devastate life as we know it. Eighty years ago, the horrific U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and

00:26Nagasaki caused unimaginable death and immense human suffering. And survivors to this day face

00:32long-term health issues and radiation poisoning. So we're 80 years later after these atrocities.

00:38We must, we must, as a chamber here, recommit our efforts to finally achieving the complete and

00:45total abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide. We must ensure these war crimes are never repeated

00:51anywhere. Nuclear weapons are tools of death and destruction. They cannot be used without

00:58disastrous consequences that violate international law and our shared humanity. The White House and

01:06Congress need to immediately work to negotiate new constraints to cap and reduce nuclear arsenals,

01:12especially with Russia and China. We must do everything in our power to prevent an unrestrained

01:17nuclear arms race. It's absolutely terrifying that in the United States, the president has the power

01:23to unilaterally decide to launch a nuclear weapon. Think about that for one moment. The use of just a

01:30fraction of nuclear weapons we possess, most of which are ready to launch within minutes of an order

01:36from any president, including the current one, would lead to mass destruction of unprecedented global

01:42scale. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle should back common sense efforts to prioritize

01:48nuclear disarmament and adopt measures to reduce the risk of nuclear war. We must continue to work

01:54towards international agreements, Mr. Chair, with all nine countries that possess nuclear weapons,

02:00through comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, as well as the treaty on prohibiting nuclear weapons.

02:07Again, we must come together. I cannot say this enough. The devastation, the consequences of any

02:15nuclear launch could be, again, life-changing around the world. We must continue to strive for a world free

02:23from the threat of nuclear war. With that, again, I cannot thank enough my colleague, Mr. McGovern,

02:28as he commits to banning nuclear weapons and, again, try to, again, save us from any kind of life-changing

02:35devastation to our lives, to our world. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I want to