[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 33 (Thursday, February 27, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E271-E272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE REDUCE EXPENDITURES IN NUCLEAR INVESTMENTS NOW (REIN-IN) ACT OF 
                                  2014

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2014

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced the Reduce 
Expenditures in Nuclear Investments Now (REIN-IN) Act of 2014. The bill 
would save $100 billion over the next 10 years by reducing or 
eliminating unnecessary nuclear weapons programs. Senator Edward J. 
Markey (D-MA) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate, the 
SANE Act.
  We must significantly reduce U.S. spending on nuclear weapons, 
delivery systems, and related programs. Today, the United States spends 
more in this arena than it did at the height of the Cold War. A recent 
report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 
between 2014 and 2023, the costs of the Administration's plans for 
nuclear forces will total $470 billion. Other estimates come close to 
$700 billion, which is more than the federal government will spend on 
education over the next five years. Worse, there are plans in the works 
to spend billions of dollars modernizing our nuclear stockpile of 
missiles, submarines, and bombers, committing us to decades more of 
waste.
  We need to change direction.
  My legislation will make the nation safer. The large number of high-
alert weapons we have now leaves dangerous room for human error. For 
example, in August 2007, a B-52

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flew cross-country while unknowingly carrying six nuclear-armed, air-
launched missiles. Just last month, the Air Force had to suspended 92 
launch officers--or missileers--at Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT, where 
a drug investigation also uncovered that missileers may have been 
cheating on proficiency exams. The REIN-IN Act, which is supported by 
over two-dozen organizations, will increase Americans' safety by 
cutting the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles currently on 
24-hour high alert from 450 to 150.
  We don't need an expensive stockpile of nuclear weapons that will 
never use to create a prosperous and secure society. As costs for our 
nation grow, there are areas where we can cut spending. The first place 
we should start is with our unnecessary and expensive spending on 
nuclear weapons that are more suited for the Cold War than the 
strategic challenges we face today.
  I look forward to working with the President and Congress to pass the 
REIN-IN Act, which will not only reduce overall spending, but 
reprioritize investments that will actually make the United States 
safer, more livable, and economically secure.

                          ____________________