[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 89 (Friday, May 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      ACDA IS NOT A COLD WAR RELIC

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                          HON. ELIZABETH FURSE

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 1995
  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for the Arms 
Control and Disarmament Agency as we consider its fate during our 
discussion of the State Department authorization. Arms control and 
nonproliferation are not new or old. They have always been necessary 
and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Merging ACDA into 
the State Department is neither cost-effective nor wise.
  To say that the cold war is over and therefore, there is no need for 
an agency that devotes itself exclusively to arms control and 
nonproliferation denies the reality that arms control is not just 
negotiating the agreement. It is also implementing it, verifying it, 
and monitoring compliance with it. These are not just hollow words, but 
activities that require considerable expertise and diligence.
  Only by having an independent agency purely devoted to arms control 
and nonproliferation can we get the best agreements and the best 
management of the process, thereby enhancing our national and economic 
security. ACDA is a national security asset and a bargain, working to 
make the world safer.
  ACDA has been very helpful to me in my work on issues involving 
nuclear testing and reducing the world's arsenals of nuclear weapons. 
Its expertise is vital as we seek to gain approval of START II, 
negotiate a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and eliminate chemical 
weapons.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, ACDA leads the successful effort to secure 
permanent extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty [NPT]. We 
would not have the NPT today if it were not for ACDA. The security and 
protection against nuclear proliferation provided by the NPT benefits 
all Americans. Let's not weaken ACDA just days after this momentous 
achievement. Our Nation's security can't afford it.


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