On the recordMay 25, 2016
I respect the gentleman's comments, and I respect the gentleman. He mentioned many of the functions that are necessary for the government that we should be doing. The one he didn't mention was defending the security of the United States. That is one of the fundamental purposes of the Federal Government. What this amendment would do is take money out of the program to continue the life extension program of the W80 warhead, the only cruise missile in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The gentleman says we don't need it now, so let's spend the money somewhere else; and if we need it next year, I guess we can just spend the money next year. But you can't develop this, and you don't do these life-extension programs in just a year. These are long-term investments. The life extension program will replace the nonnuclear and other components to support the Air Force's plan to develop the long-range standoff cruise missile, or the LRSO. If the gentleman believes the LRSO is not necessary, I would point him at the Air Force, whose leadership has testified on numerous occasions before Congress that we need to sustain our nuclear capabilities and we need to make these investments. We must do the work that is needed to extend the life of this warhead as long as there is a clear defense requirement for maintaining a nuclear cruise missile capability.…
