Garamendi Warns of New Nuclear Arms Race During Defense Authorization Amendments Hearing

Press Release

Yesterday evening, during the House Armed Services Committee's consideration of the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1735, Committee Member Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) introduced and spoke in favor of a series of amendments that seek to better inform Congress about the costs and risks of America's participation in a new nuclear arms race.

The Republican majority on the Committee rejected every amendment introduced, even amendments that simply asked for reports from the Department of Defense (DOD) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to better understand the total lifecycle costs of nuclear weapons programs. It is estimated that America's nuclear weapons posture, as currently envisioned, will cost the nation more than a trillion dollars over 30 years, but the federal government does not currently consider the costs of these programs beyond ten years.

"I think it's about time to pause for a moment and consider what this all means. We really are well into the first quarter of a new nuclear arms race," Garamendi said during the Armed Services Committee hearing. "You will come to realize that over the next 20 to 25 years, we'll be spending well over a trillion dollars on nuclear weapons systems. While we're doing it, so are Russia and China. It's an arms race, much like we saw in the "60s and "70s. And this one is particularly troublesome, because the weapons are far more sophisticated, the bombs are far more precise, and the delivery systems are too. Just think about the implications."

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