Senate poised to launch new arms treaty

WASHINGTON — A nuclear arms control treaty with Russia that is President Obama's top foreign policy priority in the year-end session of Congress is poised for bipartisan approval in the Senate today after it won support from a swath of Republicans.In a vote Tuesday to end debate on the treaty, 11 Republicans joined 56 Democrats to back the measure — exceeding the two-thirds vote that will be needed to ratify the measure today. The treaty would cut each country's nuclear arsenal by nearly a third.

The vote cleared way for Congress to finish work before Christmas after a productive post-election session in which lawmakers extended expiring tax cuts and jobless benefits, passed a new food safety bill, repealed a ban on gays serving openly in the military and passed a measure to keep the government funded through March.

"I feel pretty good about where we've gotten to," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We look forward to the Senate doing what it does best, which is a really important, thoughtful debate about our national security concerns."

Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton both visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to push wavering lawmakers. Obama, who has cast the treaty as a national security priority, put off joining his family on vacation to lobby senators by phone.

A majority of Republicans, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, voted against ending debate. McCain and others have expressed concerns about the treaty's impact on U.S. efforts to build a missile-defense system. McCain is negotiating an amendment to reinforce the commitment to that system.

Renewed momentum for the agreement came days after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced he would vote against it. Though his opposition was expected, it bolstered critics who had called for slowing debate.

"The administration did not negotiate a good treaty," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who had led opposition to the measure. "They went into the negotiations it seems to me with the attitude with the Russians just like the guy who goes into the car dealership and says, 'I'm not leaving here until I buy a car.' "

But the proposal got a lift Tuesday when the third-ranking Senate Republican, Tennessee's Lamar Alexander, announced he would back it. The treaty was also supported by Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Bob Bennett of Utah.

The Senate turned back several GOP amendments and is scheduled to work through more before a final vote, which Kerry predicted will take place today. Most amendments, not including McCain's, would require the agreement to be renegotiated with Russian leaders.

"It clearly was a very strong momentum factor," Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, the highest-ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said of Tuesday's vote. "People have had their say and we are where we are."

The treaty needs support from two-thirds of the Senate to be ratified, or 67 votes if all members are present. Five senators did not vote Tuesday — including three who have expressed support — meaning there would have been 70 votes in favor of the treaty if all members voted.

"And I would say to you that in today's ... Senate, 70 votes is yesterday's 95," Kerry quipped.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April. It would limit both countries to 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads and establish a system for verifying reductions in each country.

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