Lynn C. Woolsey: “last year the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development of the Committee on Appropriations bravely stood up to the…”

“last year the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development of the Committee on Appropriations bravely stood up to the White House by rejecting the administration's request for new nuclear weapons funding. The White House had requested over $70 million for research on the robust nuclear earth penetrator, also known as the ``bunker buster'' and other nuclear weapons initiatives. The Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development of the Committee on Appropriations zeroed out the President's nuclear weapons initiative; and, just as importantly, they have boldly rejected all funding for the supremely misguided bunker buster nuclear bomb, labelling it provocative and unnecessary. I credit the subcommittee's chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson). He courageously stood up to the White House on this issue. But President Bush did not let that stop him from once again requesting funding for the bunker buster bomb in this year's 2006 budget proposal. This year the President has requested $4 million to study the feasibility of constructing the bunker buster and another $4.5 billion for bunker buster testing in the Air Force budget. The President's budget also notes that he may request another $14 million for the bunker buster in fiscal year 2007. What could the Bush administration possibly be thinking?…”