On the recordMay 14, 2015
I appreciate the distinguished chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee for yielding. Mr. Chairman, it is in my district where this dismantlement occurs, and I think we are missing one key point, but Mr. Rogers raised it earlier. We have a limited number of facilities, a limited number of people, and a limited number of dollars. We can use them to take things apart, or we can use them to help modernize our existing stockpile so it can be more effective, so it can be safe, so it can be reliable in providing that nuclear deterrence that we depend upon. The concern is, based on what Secretary Kerry said 2 weeks ago, that this administration is going to put more money and people and facilities into taking things apart than they should. They have got their priorities wrong. This amendment or the underlying provision of the gentleman from Alabama tries to set those priorities straight, and that is what is important. We can't do everything. We have got to set priorities, and the priority ought to be defending the country, especially in light of what Russia and China continue to do: building nuclear weapons. I think this amendment should be rejected and the underlying provision supported.
