Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the Rules Committee permitting this to be in order to be discussed. These are important issues, and we don't often spend time on the floor discussing them. In my career, I have worked to contain nuclear weapons, their danger and cost. Many of these weapons we cannot afford and cannot afford to use. Unfortunately, we continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons that pose serious risk to safety and physical security. We have an opportunity this afternoon to take a small but significant step prohibiting the use of funds for the B83-1 bomb. This amendment reflects the conclusion of the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, which, unfortunately, was not reflected in the majority report. The B83 was added to the nuclear arsenal 30 years ago and has dramatically diminished utility. Remember, Mr. Chair, we are on a trajectory to spend over $1.7 trillion in the next 30 years on nuclear weapons, most of which are no longer necessary for our security. Eliminating support for the B83 will save $1.5 billion over that period at no risk at all to our security. As Everett Dirksen once famously said: ``A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you are talking about real money.'' Here is a chance to make a long-overdue reform at no cost to our national security and save some real money. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”