[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 37 (Monday, March 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S2216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NUCLEAR TERRORISM

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the General Accounting Office has released 
a report which describes the appalling state of Russia's nuclear waste 
storage facilities. It described how a GAO investigator was able to 
enter one facility without identifying himself, and there was only one 
guard present, who was unarmed. There are other descriptions of 
incredibly lax security that even the most inept thief could easily 
penetrate undetected. It is almost an open invitation.
  The implications of this are staggering. A grapefruit-sized ball of 
uranium, which would weigh about 30 pounds, could obliterate the lower 
half of the city of New York. A lot more uranium than that is already 
unaccounted for. We do not know whether it is in the hands of 
terrorists, or where it is. All we know is that it is missing.
  We have already witnessed several instances of nuclear smuggling, in 
some cases enough uranium to cause incalculable damage. The fact that 
these attempts were thwarted should not give anyone a lot of confidence 
about the future because many, if not most, crimes go unsolved.
  Mr. President, I mention this today both because of the timeliness of 
the GAO report, but also because we spend countless hours, sometimes 
days and months, here holding hearings on arcane topics and debating 
sometimes relatively meaningless resolutions, unless it is meaningful 
for someone's campaign, or voting repeatedly on issues that pale in 
importance to the dangers of nuclear terrorism. We make speeches about 
it. I am making one now. But when it comes to providing the money and 
other resources to seriously address this threat, the Congress 
oftentimes shirks its responsibility.
  One good example is in the foreign aid budget. Some Members of 
Congress were eager to take credit for sharply cutting funds for 
foreign aid last year over the objection of myself and a minority of 
other Senators. To his credit, Senator McConnell, the chairman of the 
Foreign Operations Subcommittee, supported funds to combat 
international crime, as did I. But the budget was cut anyway. In fact, 
some of those funds could have been used to help safeguard nuclear 
material in countries of the former Soviet Union. It would be hard to 
think of an example where foreign aid is more in the interest of the 
security of the American people.
  I want to single out Senator Nunn and Senator Lugar, who have led the 
effort in Congress to get funds appropriated to safeguard nuclear 
weapons in the former Soviet Union. Senator Nunn made the point in 
today's issue of Defense News, when he said ``there is skepticism about 
spending any money in Russia. Nunn-Lugar funds are often described as 
foreign aid, in quotes, as if some type of charitable giving was going 
on * * * We are talking about dismantling warheads and missiles aimed 
at us * * * things we spent trillions of dollars trying to arm 
ourselves against.''
  We are about to begin the fiscal year 1997 budget process. I hope 
that the Congress does not make the same mistake twice. I hope Members 
of Congress will read this GAO report on nuclear proliferation. Unlike 
some Government reports that you can read to help fall asleep at night, 
this one will keep you awake. Cutting these programs is the ultimate 
example of penny-wise, pound-foolish. I am already hearing rumors that 
foreign aid may be slashed again this year. If that happens, some of 
those who vote that way should ask themselves what responsibility they 
bear.
  There is no way to guarantee the safety and security of fissile 
material, but there is a lot more that we and others can and should do 
to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism. It is going to cost a lot of 
money. Budgets are already stretched, but can anyone here say that we 
can afford to watch this problem get worse? This is about the security 
of every American, and of future generations.
  So I urge the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the 
Department of Energy, and other agencies with responsibility for 
nuclear safety to develop an effective program to combat this threat. 
Tell us what needs to be done, and come to Congress with a request for 
adequate funding for it.
  I wish there were better security controls in the former Soviet 
Union, but there are not. That is the reality, and it is a reality that 
a lot of thieves, a lot of would-be terrorists know even better than we 
do.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kyl). Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THOMAS. I ask unanimous consent that I be given 5 minutes as if 
in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THOMAS. I thank the Chair.

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