Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I want to let John Garamendi know we are thinking about him and praying for him. This amendment threatens to weaken our Nation's defense capability by preventing the critical production of plutonium pits at the Savannah River Site. Plutonium pits are a key component for nuclear weapons. Due to factors including plutonium aging, safety and security advancements, global risk, and weapons modernization, these pits need to be replaced from time to time. The United States has not had the ability to produce new pits in the quantities required for the nuclear weapons stockpile since the previous pit production facility at Rocky Flats, Colorado, was shut down in the 1990s. When construction is complete, the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility will produce at least 50 of the 80 new pits per year required by the Department of Defense to sustain the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. This amendment would prohibit funding for the Savannah River Plutonium Modernization Program, which funds facility construction as well as workforce development, process design, and other critical functions so that SRS can begin producing pits as quickly as possible once the construction is complete. This bipartisan program has been supported by both the current and former Presidential administrations. Similarly, this amendment was soundly rejected during consideration of the fiscal year 2024 Energy- Water Development appropriations bill. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''”