The Nuclear First-Strike Security Act of 2025

New guardrails on first-use nuclear strikes

If enacted, this bill would limit spending to carry out a first-use nuclear strike. The President would have to decide it is in the best interests of the United States, and within seven days before any strike the Secretary of Defense would need to certify to the Speaker, the House Majority and Minority Leaders, and the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders that the decision is valid and legal. That certification would not be required if Congress has declared war, if responding to a nuclear attack on the United States or an ally, or in a launch-on-warning scenario. The bill would define who counts as an ally (NATO, Japan, South Korea, Australia) and what counts as a launch-on-warning (U.S. systems detect a missile headed to the United States or an ally) and a nuclear attack (one or more nuclear detonations on U.S. or allied territory). It would define "first-use" as using nuclear weapons when the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have not jointly confirmed to the President that the other country already carried out a nuclear attack on the United States or an ally.