“I’m honored to have the endorsement of PeacePAC, an organization that believes in solutions to address our nation’s security threats with direct diplomacy and international pressure,� Strouse responded. “The people of Pennsylvania deserve an advocate in Washington that will stand up and seek solutions over division.�

But these new designs violate “the spirit if not the letter of the administration’s pledge to not develop new nuclear weapons,” Philip Coyle, UCS report co-author and former Pentagon head of weapons testing, argued in a statement. “It sends the wrong message to the rest of the world.”

Event chairman Terry Lierman said in a news release: “It is a pleasure to give this well-deserved award to Senator Harkin for his nearly four decades of work advocating for human rights in the U.S. Congress. Senator Harkin has been a tireless advocate and his retirement next year will leave a significant void in the halls of the Capitol.�

“To me it’s no big deal, numbers, up numbers down,� said John Isaacs, executive director of the Council for a Livable World, which advocates for reducing U.S. nuclear weapons. “Everyone certainly is in compliance with the treaty.�