Russ Feingold: “I voted for the Nunn-Lugar amendment, but there are provisions included in that amendment that are quite troubling for…”

“I voted for the Nunn-Lugar amendment, but there are provisions included in that amendment that are quite troubling for me. Obviously, like every Member of this body, I am deeply concerned about the need for the United States to be fully prepared to protect our people from the threat of terrorist attacks, particularly those involving weapons of mass destruction. The amendment contains provisions to provide military assistance to State and local officials responsible for crisis management to deal with nuclear, chemical, or biological emergencies. This assistance includes areas such as locating, neutralizing, dismantling, and disposing of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and generally supporting State and local preparedness to deal with potential emergencies in this area. I support these provisions as they take the proper approach of having the Federal Government provide training and technical assistance to local entities who might face these disasters. I am also very strongly in support of efforts to reduce the worldwide threat of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of potential terrorists, and the amendment contains important provisions aimed at helping reduce these threats.”