To the editor:

As one concerned with health care for all citizens, I call on U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback to help secure a safe future for all of us.

It is time for the Senate to work to cut bloated nuclear stockpiles and restore inspections of Russia’s nuclear arsenal by approving the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Since it was signed in April, a vast array of experts — Republicans and Democrats alike — have lined up in favor of the treaty. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has noted that New START has “the unanimous support of America’s military leadership.”

Treaties require careful consideration, but at this point senators have all the information necessary to reach a decision on New START. The Senate has held 21 hearings and briefings on the treaty and the White House formally answered more than 900 questions from senators. In September, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommended ratification with a strong and increasingly rare bipartisan vote of 14-4.

Let’s put politics aside and national security first by ratifying the treaty this year.