PATERSON, NJ – Today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) reacted to the announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the United States is withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a centerpiece agreement that has preserved world peace since the Cold War.

“The INF is one of the most successful arms control treaties ever negotiated. It has fostered security for our allies and peoples across the globe. It has helped prevent war for decades. Tearing up the INF will hasten a nuclear arms race between the United States and Russia. It also likely signs the death warrant of the START treaty, which is expiring in two years and over which this administration has held no negotiations. It is idiocy.

“The only person who is happy about this is Vladimir Putin. This will not make the world safer. There is no justification for this arson beyond the hollow platitudes offered by members of the Trump administration. Aside from toadying up to dictators, Bolton and Pompeo seem most committed to removing the United States from the world community. Their actions are making the world more dangerous.”