The role of the U.S. Congress in Determining Nuclear Arms Control Policy under the Biden Administration

Abstract

On November 3, 2020, a general election was held in the United States, as a result of which Joe Biden was declared the new president and a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives were re-elected. Under the new administration, nuclear arms control, one of the very few possible spheres of U.S.-Russian cooperation, is believed to be reanimated. At least, the president-elect has kept his promise to extend the last remaining treaty in this sphere, the New START, for five years without any preconditions. However, despite the traditionally stronger role of the executive branch in the development and implementation of U.S. nuclear policy, the legislative branch, represented by the U.S. Congress, has particular instruments to influence the decision-making process. This paper sets out to analyze how the new balance of power in Congress established after the 2020 general election will affect actions taken by the Biden administration in the sphere of nuclear arms control. For this purpose, the authors used methods of situation analysis, analytical and predictive measures. In the end, the authors conclude that, despite the Democratic majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the continued strong opposition from Republicans in both houses of Congress will not allow the president-elect to significantly change the current political course in the field of nuclear arms control.