Dale Bumpers: “This simply says that the funds which have been allocated to NASA in 1995, $251.9 million, for cooperation with the…”

“This simply says that the funds which have been allocated to NASA in 1995, $251.9 million, for cooperation with the United States-Russian MIR space station will be suspended effective 30 days after the adoption of this amendment until the President certifies to us that the Russians will not sell nuclear reactors to Iran. Now, Mr. President, as you know, opposing cooperation with Russia is not normally my cup of tea. I have been a strong supporter of the Nunn-Lugar initiative to help the Russians dismantle their bombers and their nuclear weapons. That is in our interest. That is the reason we do it. But for the Russians to cavalierly sell nuclear reactors to the number one terrorist regime in the world is not in their interest; it certainly is not in our interest--indeed, Mr. President, it is not in the world's interest-- until there are significant changes in the governing body of Iran. It is a militant regime. To the State Department and everybody else who assesses the nations most culpable in shielding terrorism, Iran is always at the top of the list. Now, Mr. President, this does not need to be debated. What I have just said is absolute, and I believe that everybody in this country agrees with the principle.”