Bill Lee: “First, let me thank our Rules Committee chair, Mr. Sessions, also our ranking member, Mr. McGovern, as well as all of…”

“First, let me thank our Rules Committee chair, Mr. Sessions, also our ranking member, Mr. McGovern, as well as all of the members of the committee for making this amendment in order. My amendment is very straightforward. It would cut the $65 million included in this bill for low-yield nuclear weapons and transfer it to the defense nuclear nonproliferation account. My amendment strikes one of the most harmful and controversial recommendations of the Trump Nuclear Posture Review. Mr. Chairman, funding this warhead would set a dangerous precedent. The last thing we should do is arm our submarines with a low-yield ballistic missile. We have never done this before in the many decades of nuclear deterrence, and there is absolutely no reason to start now. What is worse, this warhead lowers the threshold for nuclear weapons use and puts us on a dangerous path to war. At a time when we should be reducing the threat of nuclear war, we are doing just the opposite. While the Trump administration claims that another low-yield warhead would help deter Russia from using these weapons first, that is far from the truth. In fact, funding this nuclear weapon could only provoke Russia and heighten the risk of nuclear war. Let me be clear: This additional funding is both unnecessary, and it is dangerous. Our Nation already processes hundreds of low-yield warheads.…”