Representative Heather Wilson: “This Energy and Water appropriations bill includes in it the most radical shift in U.S. policy on nuclear weapons that I…”

“This Energy and Water appropriations bill includes in it the most radical shift in U.S. policy on nuclear weapons that I have seen at least since the mid-1990s, that will lead us either to be forced to return to nuclear testing or to abandon nuclear deterrence because we stop maintaining the stockpile. Without any debate, we have made this drastic change in this bill that is devastating to American nuclear weapons capabilities and will significantly change our policy on nuclear weapons without any discussion at all of any substance. In 1992, the United States stopped nuclear testing. In 1996 we joined the moratorium on nuclear testing and said we will continue to maintain the stockpile through something called science-based stockpile stewardship. It is kind of like if you had a car that was a 1980s car and you said okay, we are never going to turn the key, but every year through science and engineering we are going to be able to tell the President, if we turned the key we believe it would be safe, secure and reliable. The car would go on. It won't be turned on unless we turn the key; and, Mr. President, we are confident of that. This bill devastates that capability with respect to our nuclear weapons.”