As I said--Senator Feinstein and I said we at least want to have it under design before we start construction.

The program supplied 50 percent of the fuel for U.S. nuclear reactors.

This budget would cut programs that reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism while significantly increasing funding for nuclear weapons.

I am very concerned. We've spent $329 million a year on these operations and I think it's important that they have a path to get there.

So we need to know when the decision on completing MOX or pursuing an alternative will happen.

I think we need to know about exactly what happened at USEC and why and what the future holds.

I really think it presents a huge dilemma to this country in terms of keeping its word in agreements.

Yes, excellent point, absolutely.

I'm always sooner rather than later.

If the fiscal year 2015 budget request were enacted, the nuclear weapons budget would have increased by $1.9 billion, or 30 percent, since fiscal year 2010.

I can't think of a nuclear security program with a better return on investment.

We have appropriated more than $4 billion over the last 10 years to MOX.

Too many threats remain to cut these funds so sharply.

NNSA has requested $11.658 billion for fiscal year 2015.

I really need to know more about what happened at USEC because I remember well the two extensions and what was going to be done and the problems were going to get solved.

For the first time in 15 years, 100 percent of California is in moderate to exceptional drought.

Well, let me make this request: That you come to Senator Alexander and myself with a process within the next 2 weeks to take a relook at the MOX numbers with potential changes that can be made to keep the price down.

There were just some tough decisions that had to be made in the defense nuclear nonproliferation account.

I have great respect for the Admiral and the ships that he is running today.

I was under the impression that it wasn't the fact that the economy, that the economic part wasn't right. I was under the impression that it was a management issue.

For the last 2 years, I have voiced concerns that modernizing the nuclear weapons stockpile should not come at the expense of nonproliferation activities.

Lady and gentlemen, thank you very much. It's appreciated.

I hope you will provide an explanation today of the budget tradeoffs you made and why the trend in cutting nonproliferation funding to pay for weapons activities does not concern you.

Candidly, I don't see hard choices being made in this budget request.

I was going to say our better judgment, and I didn't want to do that. But we were better skeptical that the management was going to be able to solve the problems.