Nuclear security

Democrats push law to limit Trump’s use of nuclear weapons

As tension builds with North Korea, Democratic lawmakers say they’re increasingly concerned with President Trump’s finger on the nuclear trigger and want to pass a law prohibiting him from striking without congressional approval.

“We do not trust him with our nuclear weapons arsenal,” said Sen. Ed Markey, Massachusetts Democrat. “We do not want him to use nuclear weapons first in the North Korean standoff — not just there in Korea, but all across the planet.”

He and Rep. Ted Lieu of California introduced the the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act in January, and held a press conference Wednesday to say a petition drive backing their bill has reached 500,000 signatures.

The bill, part of a spate of anti-Trump legislation Democrats have written, would require a president to get authorization from Congress before delivering an offensive nuclear strike.