Mike Levin: “Mr. President, the threat we are talking about addressing in my amendment is not one of our domestic priorities. As…”

“Mr. President, the threat we are talking about addressing in my amendment is not one of our domestic priorities. As important as those priorities are, it is not transferring money from missile defense to education or health care. It is transferring money from the next 10 missiles, untested, numbers 21 through 30, which were not stated to be part of that 20-silo test bed which was presented to us last year, instead taking that money and using that money not for my project but for the administration's stated project of trying to address the 'loose nuke' issue. This is a program, this $450 million program, the administration announced a few weeks ago in Vienna. With great fanfare, Secretary Abraham said we have to address the loose nuke problem around the world. Agreements were signed to counter a nuclear threat; $450 million to prevent research materials going to terrorists as part of a global cleanup plan. But there is no money in this program. So the Senate comes along a few days ago, and Senator Domenici and Senator Feinstein, with the support, I believe, of most of us--surely mine--say we have to move in this direction. They authorize the program. But still no money. The words are there, but the money is not there. We are talking about the money for a global program, not cleanup in Russia. That money has already been identified.”