Local Legislators React to Nuclear Disarmament Resolution

May 19, 2025
By Sylvie Simmons
• After its passage at Town Meeting, a plea to disarm the country’s nuclear arsenal solicited support from Needham’s state and federal lawmakers, though their stance on the issue is nuanced.

Earlier this month, Needham’s 2025 Annual Town Meeting passed Article 46, a resolution that calls on state and federal lawmakers to cosponsor legislation supporting nuclear disarmament.

By passing the resolution, Needham asks Sen. Becca Rausch and Rep. Josh Tarsky to cosponsor Resolution S.1649, which requests that Massachusetts legislators “take immediate steps to prevent nuclear war.” Needham’s resolution also asks U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss to cosponsor a similar federal bill — as of last year’s legislative session, only three Massachusetts representatives had cosponsored that bill.

Tarsky, who attended Town Meeting, said the vote has “got my attention.” While perhaps outside the scope of town government, Tarsky said the resolution’s intentions are positive and signal communities care about the issue. However, the decision to disarm is a federal one, meaning Tarsky and the state legislature is also limited by its own scope.

“I don’t think the efforts are wasted. It’s a worthy goal, so I think it’s good advocating for,” he said of the resolution. “It’s a very lofty goal that requires not just the state of Massachusetts and our federal government, but also the world stage players and nations to also want to play a part in this global endeavor. So, how much of a ripple can the town of Needham have? I think some.”

As a veteran, Tarsky said nuclear weapons afford countries “more chips” at the bargaining table. Though it could be a distant reality, he said he believes that nuclear disarmament is “worth striving for.”

Auchincloss does not support the resolution. In an email to a constituent shared by a staffer with Needham Local, he said his concerns lie with Russia, which he considers “a reckless actor on the world stage with no regard for international law,” and China, whose nuclear arsenal is rapidly growing. As the nation considers defense budget cuts, it should make fewer investments in nuclear weapons, he added.

“However, I do believe that Congress should codify a procedure that checks and balances the president’s first-strike authority, either by requiring a vote of Congress or by requiring approval from designated officials,” he wrote. “While we disagree on this particular resolution, I respect your deeply held beliefs and appreciate the opportunity to share my views with you.”

Rausch declined to comment on the issue, citing a busy schedule. Asked how Rausch plans to vote on S.1649, a staffer wrote via email that Rausch may not interact with the bill, given it was assigned to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, on which she does not sit. The staffer wrote that “it is unlikely that she will interact with this bill unless and until it comes to the Senate floor.”

In May 2019, Needham passed a similar resolution that called for the United States to “‘pull back from the brink’ and prevent nuclear war,” citing close calls involving nuclear weapons and their potential to enact devastation. The article resolved that Needham would call upon federal leaders to “make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of U.S. national security policy” and was sent to President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, who have both signaled support for nuclear disarmament.

Six years later, the discussion on nuclear weapons has resurfaced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the proliferation of nuclear weapons abroad. Article 46 notes that these circumstances “have dramatically increased the danger of nuclear war.” Brookline Town Meeting will consider a call to action regarding nuclear arms later this month.

Needham is one of a number of cities and towns to support the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which both resolutions mention. The treaty calls for a ban on and the destruction of nuclear weapons and reaffirms that “any use of nuclear weapons would be abhorrent to the principles of humanity.” Holyoke, Marshfield and Springfield have also signed off on the treaty.

Before potentially cosponsoring the bill, Tarsky plans to speak with leaders in Dover and Medfield, which he also represents. At the local, individual level, resolutions may have little tangible impact, but together, communities can bring more attention to disarmament, he said.

“It shows concern of towns and cities and states across the Commonwealth and the U.S and at the same time, it’s ultimately driving for the federal folks to say this is something that we want to do and take seriously and put it as a priority,” he said, “and then our foreign policy leaders have to reach out to other nations to create a global effort to basically disarm our nuclear arsenals across the globe. It’s a big undertaking.”

Sylvie Simmons is a graduating senior at Dana Hall School in Wellesley interning with Needham Local. In the fall, she plans to pursue a major in media studies and continue her interest in journalism at Pitzer College.