Trump Announces Withdrawal From Arms Trade Treaty

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will not ratify the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. Trump made the announcement during a speech at a National Rifle Association of America event on April 26. The White House said the treaty "cannot achieve its chief objective of addressing irresponsible arms transfers if these major arms exporters" -- including Russia and China -- "are not subject to it at all." The U.S. signed onto the treaty in 2013, but it was never ratified by the Senate as required. "The United States export controls have long been considered the gold standard for engaging in responsible arms trading and we will continue to use them under our own laws," the White House said.

The treaty "is simply not needed for the United States to engage in responsible arms trade," the White House said. "America will continue to abide by United States laws that ensure our arms sales are implemented after careful legal and policy reviews." The same document said that activists sued the United Kingdom to prevent a sale to Saudi Arabia, and the administration said ATT provides "a platform for those who would seek to constrain our ability to sell arms to our allies and partners."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., criticized the April 26 announcement. "This is yet another myopic decision that jeopardizes U.S. security based on false premises and fearmongering," he said. "The Arms Trade Treaty has no impact on Americans’ Second Amendment rights, nor imposes any restrictions on U.S. arms exports. To the contrary, this treaty was negotiated to level the international arms exports playing field by requiring other countries to observe the same strict standards the U.S. does in selling arms abroad."