Ronald Dellums: “I recognize Members of Congress have many things to do, but I would like to hope that when a Member takes the floor of…”

“I recognize Members of Congress have many things to do, but I would like to hope that when a Member takes the floor of this body on a significant piece of legislation, they would at least take time to read the legislation so that they would not speak based upon ignorance. If my distinguished colleague, the previous speaker, had read page 362 of this bill, bill language, it points out that moneys for housing are specifically prohibited. Second, if the gentleman had taken time to understand Nunn-Lugar in substantive intellectual terms, the gentleman would understand that no money goes to the Russian people. This money goes to American firms providing the services to dismantle warheads that just a few years ago were aimed at the United States to destroy, maim, and kill at a level of mega death beyond people's ability to comprehend. It defies logic. It defies logic, Mr. Chairman, to talk about issues that are of lesser significance when there ought to be one thing that we universally accept, and that is that the danger of nuclear weapons has a significance and an imperative unto itself. The Nunn-Lugar effort is an effort to dismantle these weapons. It is an effort to dismantle chemical and biological warfare, to destroy the facilities in Russia and Belarus. They are moving diligently in that area. It defies understanding.”