Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, it is time we take a smarter approach to our nuclear weapons strategy. I rise today to offer a reasonable amendment that ensures that taxpayer dollars are not wasted on a weapon that the Pentagon is not even sure we will have the capability to use. My amendment simply cuts the extra $7.6 million above what the NNSA has requested for the next generation long-range cruise missile's nuclear warhead. This is a modest cut, one that allows the program to move forward at the requested level of $9.4 million. The reason behind the cut is clear: this funding is for the development of a warhead to be used on a cruise missile that the Pentagon has yet to approve. Given this, there is simply no reason for the NNSA to rush forward with investments on this warhead. And Congress definitely shouldn't be spending taxpayer dollars beyond the NNSA's request to do so. To get a better idea of what we are spending our constituents' money on, let's walk through this program. This warhead is being developed for the next generation long-range cruise missile. The weapon it will replace, the air-launched cruise missile, isn't being phased out until the 2030s. This year, the Pentagon delayed the development of this new cruise missile by 3 more years and has yet to set exact requirements for the missile or necessary warhead. Despite there being no rush, this bill pushes extra money into developing that warhead.…”