Bill > S200

This bill prohibits the President from conducting a first-use nuclear strike against an enemy that did not first launch a nuclear strike against the United States or a U.S. ally, unless Congress expressly authorizes such a strike through a declaration of war. It is based on the constitutional principle that the decision to go to war, which can result in massive death and destruction, must be made by Congress, the representatives of the people, and not by a single person. The bill recognizes that nuclear weapons are uniquely powerful and that a first-use nuclear strike would constitute a major act of war, which should not be undertaken without a declaration of war by Congress.