On the recordMay 17, 2012
We discussed the nonproliferation programs earlier. It is still a critical issue. Former Soviet Union, now Russia and various other countries, have a large number of weapons of mass destruction. And it has been a very successful program. A bipartisan group of I think at least three, if not four Presidents who have worked on this program. It's important that we continue to cooperate with Russia to try to reduce proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It's clearly in our interests. It is also in their interests. And it is a program that has worked and worked quite effectively. Whatever else Russia may be doing that we don't like and agree with, there is near-universal praise of the cooperation that we received on nonproliferation. I don't think it's wise to cut and eliminate this program. When the greatest threat that we face right now, as everyone will tell you, comes primarily from terrorist non-state actors, and the greatest threat that could happen there is if they got their hands on weapons of mass destruction, that's what we all worry most about in terms of the threat to the United States. A program that is making it more difficult for anyone, particularly terrorist groups, to get access to weapons of mass destruction, it's a program we certainly should not eliminate. I urge opposition to this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
