US Democrats urges Biden to relinquish sole authority to launch nukes after fears over 'unhinged' Trump

US Democratic lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to give up his sole authority to launch nuclear weapons as the commander in chief after fears grew during "unhinged" Trump presidency that he could use them and launch a nuclear strike.

A letter signed by about three dozen House Democrats, offered alternatives to sole nuclear authority, such as requiring the vice president and House speaker to agree with a launch order from the president before it is executed.

They outlined that neither of the two top officials "can be removed by the president if they disagree."

“Under the current posture of US nuclear forces, that [nuclear] attack would happen in minutes,” read the letter from representative Jimmy Panetta, and obtained by Politico.

"Vesting one person with this authority entails real risks," The letter said.

“Past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behavior that caused other officials to express concern about the president’s judgment,” said Panetta.

It explained that while any president would presumably consult with advisors before ordering a nuclear attack, “there is no requirement to do so.”

The letter said, “The military is obligated to carry out the order if they assess it is legal under the laws of war.”

Panetta wrote in a tweet that he is "calling on" Biden "to install checks [and] balances in our nuclear command-and-control structure."

ICYMI: I'm calling on @POTUS to install checks & balances in our nuclear command-and-control structure.

Past presidents have threatened nuclear attacks on other countries or exhibited concerning behavior that cast doubt on their judgment. Read more: https://t.co/Ntk8uvRqxO

— Rep. Jimmy Panetta (@RepJimmyPanetta) February 24, 2021

Democrats have formerly raised concern about former president Donald Trumps’ access to nuclear codes.

Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker said last month, she raised the issue with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

Pelosi said she spoke with Milley about protecting nuclear codes from an "unhinged president."

She spoke "to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike."

Trump and his top aides had stroke fears of impending military or nuclear action, by commonly threatening other nations— implicitly or explicitly — with military or even nuclear force.

A nuclear watchdog released a report in 2018, saying it assembled nine instances where Trump or members of his administration have threatened to use military force.

On one occasion, Trump threatened Iran with an action “the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.”

Trump also told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he has “a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

He made the threat in response to Kim, who said he said a nuclear button is "always on my desk."

American presidents are allowed to unilaterally order a military strike.

In the final days of his one-term presidency, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting violence, after he urged his followers to attack the Capitol.

He, however, was acquitted by the Senate earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration and 117th Congress have begun ranking their priorities on the country’s nuclear modernization and arms control.

Biden could follow a model applied by the administration of former Democratic president Barack Obama and pursue further nuclear arms control agreements while modernizing the US nuclear triad.

He could also decide to scale back US nuclear modernization and unilaterally eliminate hundreds of US nuclear weapons — an idea supported by many progressive think tanks.

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