Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 4 minutes. This is a simple amendment that would cut $3.4 million for a new nuclear-armed, air-launched cruise missile and redirect the funding towards the cleanup and removal of unexploded ordnance that litters most congressional districts in every State of the Union. It would save the taxpayers from footing the bill for a program whose rationale remains ill-defined. First, the United States currently has a robust arsenal of air- launched cruise missiles, and with the life extension program, they are expected to be in service well past 2030. These existing cruise missiles are also compatible with the Air Force's greatest procurement priority, the long-range strike bomber. Now the Pentagon has not yet made a final decision on how or when it will replace its existing nuclear air-launched cruise missile, so it seems ill-advised to spend money before we know what our long-term plans are. We no longer need a bomber with standoff nuclear weapons like the ALCM. The new Air Force bomber that will be designed to penetrate air defenses, it needs bombs that can be dropped, not a new cruise missile. The procurement of the new cruise missile will also have a destabilizing effect in our efforts to control nuclear proliferation. A mass deployment of cruise missiles probably would trigger, potentially could trigger a new arms race that we have already agreed to begin to end. Currently, only the United States, France, and Russia have such weapons.…”