House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee Zeroes Out Funding for New Nuclear Warheads and Boosts Programs to Fight Nuclear Terrorism and Proliferation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2007
CONTACT:
Travis Sharp, Communications Director, (202) 546-0795 ext.123
tsharp AT armscontrolcenter DOT org
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation hailed the funding levels approved today for nuclear non-proliferation programs for FY 2008 as a significant step forward for protecting US security.
The House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee voted today to eliminate all funding for a new generation of nuclear weapons, cut out funding for a new plant to build plutonium pits, greatly increased funding for nuclear non-proliferation programs and cut funds from the Administration's proposal to extract nuclear weapons-usable material from nuclear waste.
John Isaacs, Executive Director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, welcomed the announcement of the funding levels for FY2008, noting that "The Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee is to be greatly commended for recognizing and putting a stop to the Administration's grandiose plans for developing new hydrogen bombs which are unnecessary and undercut US and international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries and terrorists. Rep. Peter Visclosky's leadership on US national security represents oversight at its best."
The Subcommittee zeroed out funding for the development of new nuclear warhead citing the "need for a comprehensive plan for nuclear defense strategy and stockpile plan to guide transformation and downsizing of the stockpile and nuclear weapons complex is available." The Administration had sought $88.8 million for the development of a Reliable Replacement Warhead in the Department of Energy's budget request.
The United States maintains about 10,000 weapons from the Cold War which will remain safe and reliable for at least another fifty years according to the national nuclear weapon laboratories and the JASON group, an independent group of scientists that advises the Departments of Energy and Defense.
Leonor Tomero, an analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, agreed "The Administration has been stopped cold in its repeated efforts to develop new nuclear weapons. The Subcommittee again blocked the Administration's continued attempts to develop new nuclear weapons, having thwarted the Administration's previous attempts to develop mini-nuclear weapons and the so-called nuclear bunker buster in the last several years."
The Subcommittee also provided a $878 million-increase to the President's request for Department of Energy's programs that secure vulnerable nuclear weapons-grade material, primarily in the countries of the former Soviet Union, but also in other countries that use nuclear weapon-grade material in research reactors.
Tomero added, "The $878 million-increase to the Department of Energy threat reduction programs that secure vulnerable nuclear material and nuclear weapon expertise is a very welcome improvement for reducing the risk of terrorists gaining access to material with which to make a nuclear bomb. We know Al Qaeda is reported to be seeking this material and this significant increase will provide a much-needed boost to some of the most important security programs in the post 9/11 world."
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