Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I rise to oppose this amendment. Now, I do not question my colleague from Ohio's commitment to our national security. He and I have worked together on this committee for several years. But I do think that this amendment would be a grave strategic mistake. I oppose the development of these low-yield weapons for three distinct reasons: One, they increase the chance of miscalculation by our enemies; Two, they are a waste of taxpayer money for a capability that we already possess; and Three, they weaken our national defense as a consequence. The fundamental strength of our nuclear deterrence lies in the fact that our nuclear weapons are so catastrophically damaging that nobody would dare attack us or even threaten our allies with a nuclear weapon. Lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons by signaling to our enemies that our response might not be catastrophic for them makes it more likely that our enemies will use nukes against us and our allies in the first place. It plays into Russia's dangerous new escalate to de-escalate doctrine. Nobody should question the resolve of the United States of America to respond with overwhelming force if strategic weapons are used. Developing these low-yield weapons does just that. It questions that resolve, and that weakens our national defense.”