Mike Levin: “That is correct. It is my understanding there are no tests planned to launch interceptors from those missile fields. If…”

“That is correct. It is my understanding there are no tests planned to launch interceptors from those missile fields. If there is any change in that, I think we will find out tomorrow morning. This amendment does not touch those 20 missiles. I want to reiterate that point. It does not touch the money. It does not cut the missiles. Those missiles will be there. They are not going to be launched from there. Nonetheless, they are going to be there. How that leads to realistic testing beats me, but nonetheless that debate is passed. What has not passed is the most unmet emergency threat to the United States. This is according to the Russia task force of the Secretary of Energy advisory: The most unmet national security threat to the United States today is that the danger of weapons of mass destruction or weapons usable material in Russia could be stolen and sold to terrorists or hostile nation states and used against American troops abroad or citizens at home. That task force was cochaired by Senator Baker, our former colleague, and a former White House counsel, Lloyd Cutler. The Baker-Cutler task force also concluded that the limited mandate and funding falls short for what is required to address adequately the threat.”