[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 192 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IRAN, NORTH KOREA, AND SYRIA NONPROLIFERATION REFORM AND MODERNIZATION 
                              ACT OF 2011

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                               speech of

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2011

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, North Korea has nuclear weapons. Iran is 
developing nuclear weapons. Al-Qaeda wants to acquire nuclear weapons. 
The threat we face is very, very real.
  Sanctions are important to help prevent the spread of nuclear 
weapons, but they are not enough. America must lead by example.
  The U.S. recently signed the New START treaty, requiring reductions 
to our nuclear arsenal. Yet, we still plan to spend hundreds of 
billions of dollars on new nuclear weapons and related programs over 
the next decade.
  Why do we allow this wasteful spending to continue? Because some 
Republicans in this Chamber treat the nuclear weapons budget as a 
sacred cow, never to be questioned or scrutinized. This is ridiculous.
  Wasteful nuclear weapons spending actually harms national security. 
It sends the message to Iran, North Korea, and Syria that while we 
don't want you to have these weapons, we are not willing to make cuts 
ourselves. This is the wrong message to send.
  You cannot argue temperance from a barstool.
  The central deal in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was that the 
non-weapons states agreed to forgo the right to get the bomb. The 
weapons states in return, agreed to negotiate measures leading to 
disarmament.
  That should be our goal, and we can take an important step in this 
direction by reducing unnecessary nuclear weapons spending.

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