3 steps to take re Trump’s threat to test nukes

By Kristin Scheer

In an Oct. 31 e-mail, the group Back from the Brink addresses concerns about President Donald Trump’s vague social media post Oct. 29 threatening to resume nuclear weapon testing. By Nov. 2, Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News, “These are not nuclear explosions” that Trump referred to. “These are what we call non-critical explosions” to test parts of nuclear weapons on an ongoing basis.

For the record, Trump said on Truth Social Oct. 29 that he has “instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons.” Back from the Brink, of which PeaceWorks KC is a member, says, “This is a very dangerous, unnecessary, and horrible idea. If the US starts to conduct explosive tests, Russia, China, and other countries will likely follow, making everyone in the world less safe and further fueling a global nuclear arms race. And people and communities will again be at risk of having their land, air, and water poisoned by deadly radioactive materials.”

In a press release on Oct. 30, Daryl Kimble, executive director of the Arms Control Association, stated, “Trump appears to be misinformed and out of touch. The US has no technical, military or political reason to resume testing for the first time since 1992, when a bipartisan majority of the US Congress mandated a nuclear test moratorium.”

Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, in his confirmation hearing earlier this year, said, “We collected more data than anyone else. That data has underpinned our scientific basis for confirming the stockpile. I would not advise … testing.”

Kimble said, “Nearly all the world’s nations, including 5 of the largest nuclear powers, signed the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The US is obligated to respect it.” Kimble calls Trump’s nuclear policy “incoherent and unclear.” What is clear, he said, is, “US resumption of nuclear testing, or words and actions that trigger a nuclear testing chain reaction, harm US security.”

Back from the Brink encourages, “We can take this moment to raise our voices and get our elected leaders to take action on advancing nuclear disarmament and enacting common-sense policies to halt the nuclear arms race and prevent nuclear war.” Back from the Brink recommends doing 3 things right now that take 10 minutes or less.

1. E-mail Congress. Ask your US representative to cosponsor H.Res. 317—go to https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/317 and click on “Contact Your Member.” Ask your US senators to cosponsor S.Res. 323—go to https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-resolution/323 and click on “Contact Your Member.”
2. Call your members of Congress via the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121. Phone calls can leave an even stronger impression than e-mails.
3. Share your views of Trump’s statements on social media such as Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook to help amplify the message and counter misinformation.

–Kristin Scheer, an advocate for the environment, chairs the PeaceWorks KC Communications Team. © 2025, Kristin Scheer, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.