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| Wilson & Pearce Letter: Deep Cuts Would Do `Irreparable Damage` to National Security |
June 07, 2007 |
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Concerned Lawmakers Question Committee Leaders about Unprecedented Cuts
Washington, DC – Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce today released a letter to House Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to reconsider devastating cuts to nuclear weapons programs that would “fundamentally weaken the nation’s stockpile stewardship program.”
The cuts became public yesterday when the Committee passed fiscal year 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations Act. Not only would the proposed cuts clearly cause substantial job losses in New Mexico at both Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, but they would have significant national security implications.
“If enacted into law, these cuts will do irreparable damage to our nation’s security and devastate the nuclear weapons program,” the letter states. “These cuts will make it more difficult to certify that our nuclear weapons are safe and reliable without nuclear testing.”
The House Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to slash $630 million, including about $400-500 million from Los Alamos and $100 million from Sandia.
In the absence of nuclear testing, the nation relies on two labs, Livermore and Los Alamos, to annually assess and certify that the United States strategic nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, and reliable. If this bill becomes law, Los Alamos will not have the tools needed to assess and certify 80 percent of America’s nuclear stockpile without returning to nuclear testing.
“These deep cuts are unprecedented in the history of the nuclear weapons program and would fundamentally weaken the nation’s stockpile stewardship program that ensures the safety and reliability of nuclear weapons without nuclear testing,” states the letter. “This seems absurd that we would cut the very program that has allowed the United States to continue to adhere to the underground testing moratorium that has been in place since 1996.”
Complete text of today’s letter is as follows:
Dear Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis,
The House Appropriations Committee has passed a fiscal year 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations Act that cuts more than $630 million out of nuclear weapons programs. If enacted into law, these cuts will do irreparable damage to our nation’s security and devastate the nuclear weapons program. These cuts will make it more difficult to certify that our nuclear weapons are safe and reliable without nuclear testing.
Los Alamos National Laboratories was hit particularly hard with a $500M cut to their nuclear weapons funding. Los Alamos has responsibility for more than 80% of the on-alert strategic deterrent currently in the U.S. military inventory.
In the absence of nuclear testing, the country has relied on the two nuclear weapons labs, Los Alamos and Livermore, to annually assess and certify that the United States’ strategic nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, and reliable. Each lab certifies the weapons for which it is responsible. This budget would devastate the Stockpile Stewardship program at Los Alamos by reducing the capability to simulate nuclear explosions, and reducing funding for testing through the LANSCE and the DARHT 2nd Axis. If this bill becomes law, Los Alamos will not have the tools needed to assess and certify 80% of America’s nuclear stockpile without returning to nuclear testing.
These deep cuts are unprecedented in the history of the nuclear weapons program and would fundamentally weaken the nation’s stockpile stewardship program that ensures the safety and reliability of nuclear weapons without nuclear testing. This seems absurd that we would cut the very program that has allowed the United States to continue to adhere to the underground testing moratorium that has been in place since 1996. The last test that the United States conducted was in 1992.
If the funding amounts for the nuclear weapons program become law it would result in substantial job losses in New Mexico. The bill cuts nearly $500 million from Los Alamos and $100 million from Sandia. This translates into job losses of over 1000 people to the State of New Mexico. These are some of our nation’s premier scientists and engineers who have knowledge and experience that is irreplaceable.
I am seeking your assistance in making sure that our nation’s security is not impacted by these cuts that appear to have been made without considering the long-term implications to our nation’s security and the strategic nuclear deterrent.
Sincerely,
Heather Wilson Steven Pearce
Member of Congress Member of Congress
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