Political Quotes

“We all agree that transparency and nonpartisan oversight strengthens our democracy and promotes greater efficiency and effectiveness in government, especially in monitoring government spending. This amendment provides every Member with an opportunity to promote this efficiency and effectiveness through increased transparency. The amendment would simply require the Congressional Budget Office to update, each year, their report on the projected costs of the United States' nuclear forces over the 10-year budget window. This report initially was required in the last reauthorization as a one-time look at U.S. spending on our nuclear forces. It was released last December and has since proven to be incredibly valuable for Members, staff, and civil society organizations. I am sure it was referenced by many people on the committee as this bill before us was crafted. The CBO's report provided an unbiased and more realistic forecast of spending. It found that the administration's own estimates for the costs of our nuclear weapons over the next decade were understated by nearly $150 billion. With tight budgets, we can't afford to rely on partial or inaccurate information, let alone such a significant disparity. If the United States is likely committing--at some level--to refurbishing the nuclear triad, we all deserve to know the long-term costs to make the strategic, effective decisions and to appreciate any trade-offs that might be required.…”