Sen. Cruz Introduces SUSPEND Act To Sanction China for Arms Control and Nuclear Weapons Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today introduced the Strongly and Unambiguously Sanctioning Proliferators Exploiting Nuclear Diplomacy (SUSPEND) Act of 2020, a bill to impose sanctions on the defense sectors of China and Russia unless those countries reverse violations of their obligations under international arms control treaties, specifically their obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to reduce their nuclear stockpiles. This targeted legislation to address China's aggressive arms control policy is a part of Sen. Cruz's comprehensive push to counter the Chinese Communist Party's geopolitical threats towards U.S. national security.

Upon introducing this legislation, Sen. Cruz said:

"As I've long said, China is the greatest geopolitical threat to the United States, and Russia has reemerged as a global rival. In an aggressive effort to build up their nuclear arsenals, these countries violate global arms treaties, including brazenly violating their core obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, posing a serious threat to our defense capabilities and national security. We must take proactive measures to counter unbalanced arms agreements. This legislation will do just that by enacting crippling sanctions on their defense industries unless they comply with their obligations."

Sen. Cruz has led the fight to fundamentally reassess our relationship with China. In the Senate, Sen. Cruz has introduced several pieces of legislation that would help decouple our economy from China and end our dependence on Chinese goods, by expanding medical partnerships with American allies like Israel, bringing home the supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical minerals, and combating China's growing influence over what Americans see and hear from movies made in Hollywood studios.

In May, Sens. Cruz, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) sent a letter to President Trump urging for the administration to continue unwinding the U.S. from Cold War-style nuclear arms control treaties that put constraints on the U.S. while allowing China and other adversaries, to rapidly build up their nuclear arsenals, and to continue restoring the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

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