House Approves Vital Funds for Nuclear Nonproliferation

A terrorist attack using a nuclear or radiological bomb remains a very significant threat to our nation’s safety and security. That is why I worked so hard as a member of the Armed Services Committee to significantly increase funding in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for programs that combat the spread of nuclear material. The House approved a $150 million increase over the President’s budget for Department of Energy nonproliferation projects, authorizing a total of $1.8 billion and $398 million for the Department of Defense’s Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program in the defense funding bill.  Both of these programs reduce the amount of nuclear materials around the globe that terrorists could use for a weapon and are critical to our national security.

I have also been helping to lead the fight to increase funds for the Department of Energy’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative.  This program identifies the location of and secures Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU), which can be used to make a nuclear weapon, in other countries so terrorists cannot steal or purchase it.  Some of the HEU in other countries is poorly secured, with only a chain-link fence between terrorists and the materials they need for a nuclear bomb.  The House approved an increase of $77 million above the President’s budget for this program, which will significantly enhance our ability to keep Highly Enriched Uranium out of terrorist’s hands.

I am pleased that the House approved significant increases in funding for these programs.  They are absolutely vital to protecting our nation from the threat of a WMD falling into a terrorist’s hands. 

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