[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 62 (Thursday, April 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H1914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NUCLEAR FORCES BUDGET

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call 
attention to the rising cost of our Nation's nuclear forces budget.
  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that between 2015 and 2024, 
the administration's plans for nuclear forces will cost us about $348 
billion. That is about $35 billion a year on our nuclear enterprise. 
According to the CBO, this is about 5 to 6 percent of the total cost of 
the administration's plans for our national defense for the next 10 
years.
  Next week, the House Armed Services Committee will mark up the fiscal 
year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, our military bill, if you 
will.
  One of my main priorities in the committee has been to reduce our 
Nation's nuclear weapons spending and to reduce our nuclear stockpile. 
Unfortunately, year after year, the Congress authorizes funding for 
more weapons while capping the funding that we use to dismantle nuclear 
weapons. I think it is a far safer world without these nuclear weapons.
  Mr. Speaker, rather than spend on the legacy of the cold war, we 
should be investing in our most important military asset: our men and 
our women in uniform.

                          ____________________