My administration is also prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that our remaining stockpile（库存，积蓄） and nuclear infrastructure¹ is modernized³ -- which I know is a key concern of many around this table and also many on Capitol Hill.  We’ve committed to invest $80 billion on the effort to modernize² over the next decade.  And based on our consultations⁴ with Senator Kyl, we’ve agreed to request an additional $4.1 billion over the next five years.

So the key point here is this is not about politics -– it’s about national security.  This is not a matter that can be delayed.  Every month that goes by without a treaty means that we are not able to verify what’s going on on the ground in Russia.  And if we delay indefinitely, American leadership on nonproliferation and America’s national security will be weakened.

Now, as Senator Reid said yesterday, there is time on the Senate calendar to get this treaty ratified⁵ this year.  So I’ve asked Vice⁶ President Biden to focus on this issue day and night until it gets done.  It’s important to our national security to let this treaty go up for a vote.  I’m confident that it’s the right thing to do.  The people around this table think it’s the right thing to do.

I would welcome the press to query⁷ the leadership here, people who have been national security advisors⁸, secretaries of state, and key advisors -- defense⁹ secretaries for Democratic and Republican administrations, and they will confirm that this is the right thing to do.

So we’ve got a lot on our plate during this lame¹⁰ duck session.  I recognize that given the difficulties in the economy that there may be those, perhaps Democrats¹¹ and Republicans on the Hill, who think this is not a top priority.  I would not be emphasizing this and these folks would not have traveled all this way if we didn’t feel that this was absolutely important to get done now.

And so I’m looking forward to strong cooperation between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, as exemplified by John Kerry and Dick Lugar, to get this done over the course of the next several weeks.

All right?  Thank you very much.

Q Do you have the votes in the Senate?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m confident that we should be able to get the votes.  Keep in mind that every President since Ronald Reagan has presented a arms treaty with Russia and been able to get ratification¹²（批准，承认） .  And for the most part, these treaties have been debated on the merits; the majority of them have passed overwhelmingly（压倒性地） with bipartisan（两党连立的） support.  There’s no reason that we shouldn’t be able to get that done this time as well.