Cord Byrd: “the Senate is set to give rubberstamp approval to legislation that would waive the most important parts of our nuclear…”

“the Senate is set to give rubberstamp approval to legislation that would waive the most important parts of our nuclear nonproliferation laws, but only with respect to India. This so-called U.S.-India nuclear cooperation agreement is a mistake, and our Nation's efforts to draw a line in the sand against further proliferation of nuclear materials and technology may suffer as a result. This agreement signals the willingness of the United States to look the other way when it comes to compliance with the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty. At a time when nuclear weapons programs in North Korea and Iran are front-page news, the United States should not be giving its blessing to any nuclear weapons program that is not in one hundred percent compliance with all nonproliferation treaties. It is especially galling that the only thing the United States appears to be getting from this agreement is a vague assurance of improved relations. That just does not sounds like a good deal to me. India is a strategically important country, and the influence of the world's most populous democracy is expected to increase in the coming years. Closer relations between the United States and India is a worthy goal. However, the nuclear cooperation agreement before the Senate is a bad deal for the United States, and I will not support it.”