Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I thank Congresswoman Lee, my colleague on the Appropriations Committee, for offering this very important amendment, and I rise in support of it. Please let me remind my colleagues who may not agree with our position that if this particular proposal for developing a low-yield nuclear weapon were so important, why was it not included in the administration's initial budget submission to us? The process by which this has been handled for a nuclear weapon--if this were a conventional, then maybe there is a little room there for maneuver. But in terms of a nuclear weapon, it has many consequences beyond the weapon itself, including the understanding of our allies and including many of the treaties that are currently in place. I was actually shocked when the Secretary of Energy and many people from the Department of Energy came before our committee and they could not answer any questions on this. The nuclear security agency, when they came up before our committee, at that point this had not been proposed. It came in late; it was thrown over the transom. And I think the manner in which this has been handled is actually terrible. We have the most capable and sophisticated nuclear arsenal in the world. It is credible enough to deter and respond to any threat right now. We have what we need. But if we are to alter the combination of weapons that we have in our arsenal, then, for heaven's sake, why not come up under regular order?…”