FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             CONTACT: Kevin Lawlor, 202/225-1880

December 19, 2007                                                               www.tauscher.house.gov

Official Statement of Rep. Ellen Tauscher

Chairman, Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee

Proposed NNSA Complex Transformation Plan

“Transforming the complex cannot simply be a budget-driven exercise that may or may not match where America needs to be in ten years.”

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, the NNSA released a summary of the draft Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) outlining its vision for the future of the nuclear weapons complex. The detailed announcement will be made in the Federal Register in January.

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee released the following statement in response to the draft SEIS.

“When specifics of the NNSA complex transformation plan are available next month I will hold a hearing to explore the costs and consequences of the Bush administration’s proposal. While I would expect the overall size of the complex to shrink both in terms of infrastructure and people in the next ten years, it is critical that we also invest in a complex that delivers the best science and national security for the American people, that attracts and retains the world’s top experts, that incorporates safer and more efficient manufacturing processes, and which results in the consolidation of special nuclear material.”

“The defense authorization bill which I helped write contains a strategic commission that will review the future of US nuclear policy. It is vital that the conclusions of this commission on the future role of our nuclear deterrent guide any changes that will be made to the nuclear complex. Transforming the complex cannot simply be a budget-driven exercise that may or may not match where America needs to be in ten years.  A smaller complex will support our ultimate goal of a reduced nuclear deterrent. It is also vital that Congress does not allow radical cuts to the complex that cause us to lose our best assets: the dedicated employees who work every day to protect the American people.”

“I will continue to work with Administrator D’Agostino to ensure that the Bush administration and the Congress make the right choices for the complex and our security moving forward.”

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