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Senator Burr a ‘no’ on New START

That’s two ayes and one nay for the New START treaty on Capitol Hill today. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) just issued a statement that he will not support the treaty. "After reviewing provisions contained in the New START treaty, I have decided to vote against ratification," Burr said. "I fear it will have a negative impact ...

Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alex Wong/Getty Images

That's two ayes and one nay for the New START treaty on Capitol Hill today. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) just issued a statement that he will not support the treaty.

That’s two ayes and one nay for the New START treaty on Capitol Hill today. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) just issued a statement that he will not support the treaty.

"After reviewing provisions contained in the New START treaty, I have decided to vote against ratification," Burr said. "I fear it will have a negative impact on our national security, and the United States must be assured that any arms treaty it agrees to does not limit our ability to defend against growing international threats. This New START does not satisfy that criteria, and I look forward to debate on the issue so I can address more specifically the concerns I have with ratifying this agreement."

That debate could come next week, as many Senate offices seem to be preparing for floor consideration. Both of Maine’s GOP senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, announced their support today, although Snowe said she will only vote yes if there’s enough time for amendments from the GOP side.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also said today he hopes the treaty can come up for consideration on the senate floor "next week."

Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.

Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.

A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.

Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin

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