Heidi Alexander: “I ask unanimous consent that a copy of my remarks at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water…”

“I ask unanimous consent that a copy of my remarks at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: National Nuclear Security Administration We're here today to review the president's fiscal year 2016 budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which is a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy that is responsible for managing our nuclear weapons stockpile, reducing global dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction, and providing the Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion. This is the subcommittee's third hearing this year on the president's budget request, and I look forward to hearing our witnesses' testimony. The NNSA, has an important national security mission, but faces many challenges. That's why we need to do what we were sent here to do--to govern. Governing is about setting priorities, and we are going to have to make some hard decisions this year to make sure the highest priorities are funded. The president's 2016 budget request for defense spending is about $38 billion higher than what is allowed under the spending caps in the Budget Control Act.…”