At the recent Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. would increase the rate of dismantling retired warheads by 20%. Since there are about 2,500 retired nuclear warheads awaiting dismantlement at the Pantex plant in Texas, this is certainly a step in the right direction.
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For our safety, the U.S. needs to dismantle these old warheads. Failing to do so wastes taxpayer’s money. A recent Government Accounting Office (GAO) report notes that the Navy saved $190 million by avoiding construction costs for a storage facility when W-76 warhead dismantlement was accelerated. This amendment could foist unnecessary expenses and management burdens on the services.
Please phone your senators using the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to oppose Senate Amendment 1605, or you can find their individual office numbers here.
Sample Call Script:
I’m calling to request Senator x to vote “no” on Senate Amendment 1605 to Defense Authorization, submitted by Senator Cotton. I support dismantling the backlog of retired nuclear weapons to save money and to help safely dispose of these retired weapons. This harmful amendment would cap spending on dismantlement at $50 million per year and would place restrictions on the warheads that can be dismantled. This is unacceptable.
Read more at Tell your senators: Say No to harmful nuclear weapons amendment!
