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HR 6991 116th Congress House International Affairs Arms control and nonproliferation Congressional oversight Congressional-executive branch relations International law and treaties Nuclear weapons Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents Russia

PAUSE Act

Introduced: May 22, 2020 Introduced by: Panetta, Jimmy Democratic · California See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 22, 2020
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
May 22, 2020
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Preventing Actions Undermining Security without Endorsement Act or the PAUSE Act

This bill prohibits any action to terminate or withdraw the United States from an international treaty to which the Senate has given advice and consent to ratification unless specified conditions are met.

Specifically, such withdrawal may not occur unless the Department of Defense and the Department of State submit specific information to Congress and Congress enacts a joint resolution approving such action. The required submissions must include (1) a detailed justification for withdrawal from or termination of the treaty, (2) a certification that all other state parties to the treaty have been consulted with respect to such justification, and (3) a comprehensive strategy to mitigate against lost capacity of benefits from such treaty.

A decision by the President to not renew the treaty between the United States and Russia on measures for the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms (the New START Treaty) shall be subject to such requirements for up to an additional five years.

What's happening now May 22, 2020

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 4304 Related bill PAUSE Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 6991: PAUSE Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6991/
MLA
"H.R. 6991: PAUSE Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6991/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 6991, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6991/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 6991: PAUSE Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6991/)
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