“The election of President-elect Hassan Rouhani offers a new opportunity for the U.S. to pursue a negotiated solution to Iran’s nuclear program,� said Laicie Heeley, director of Middle East and Defense Policy at Council for a Livable World. “This letter is an unprecedented move by Congress to encourage the Administration’s diplomatic efforts and comes at a vital time in U.S.-Iranian relations.�

“Mayor Booker and Congressman Holt have shown a true commitment to pursuing a common sense national security policy that reduces the expenditure of taxpayer dollars on wasteful and outdated nuclear weapons,� said John Isaacs, executive director of Council for a Livable World.

enator Hart will succeed former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry as Chairman. Dr. Perry will remain an ISAB member. “Bill Perry and Gary Hart are two brilliant strategic thinkers whose guidance and insight I’ve been privileged to lean on for many years. I greatly appreciate Dr. Perry’s skillful and superb leadership of the ISAB over two very productive years, and I am looking forward to similarly impressive results under Senator Hart, who is rightly regarded as an ahead of the curve leader on international security issues,� said Secretary Kerry.

“We applaud Sen. Feinstein for her leadership in preventing nuclear terrorism and curtailing wasteful spending on an unnecessary and unrealistic life extension program,â€� said Kingston Reif, director of non-proliferation programs at Council for a Livable World. “Her bill is a victory for U.S. national security and the more responsible stewardship of defense dollars, We hope that the Senate funding levels are included in the final appropriations bill.â€�

“Ed Markey is a Senator of whom all Bay Staters can be proud,� said Priscilla McMillan, of Cambridge, MA, an expert on U.S.-Russia relations and Council for a Livable World board member. “For nearly four decades, he’s been a courageous and far-sighted public servant leading the effort for greater control of nuclear weapons and other issues important to the future of our country and planet.�