"When Majority Leader Harry Reid asked me if I thought the treaty could be considered in the lame-duck session, I replied I did not think so given the combination of other work Congress must do and the complex and unresolved issues related to START and modernization," Kyl said.
"I appreciate the recent effort by the Administration to address some of the issues that we have raised and I look forward to continuing to work with Senator [John] Kerry, DOD, and DOE officials," he said, referring to the Massachusetts Democrat and the departments of defense and energy.
Alarmed Democrats were quick to respond, arguing that it would be dangerous to delay consideration of the treaty.
Vice President Joe Biden released a statement warning that "failure to pass the [new treaty] this year would endanger our national security. Without ratification of this treaty, we will have no Americans on the ground to inspect Russia's nuclear activities, no verification regime to track Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal, less cooperation between the two nations that account for 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, and no verified nuclear reductions."
Biden called the treaty "a fundamental part of our relationship with Russia, which has been critical to our ability to supply our troops in Afghanistan and to impose and enforce strong sanctions on the Iranian government."
The vice president said the administration will continue to seek Senate approval of the treaty before the end of the year.
Kerry said he had talked with Kyl and does "not believe the door is closed to considering [the treaty] during the lame duck session."
"Ratifying New START is not a political choice, it's a national security imperative," he declared.
