[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 117 (Monday, July 10, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CHEMICAL WEAPONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, over 25 years ago, America made a 
noble and necessary commitment--never again to deploy or produce 
chemical weapons and to destroy our remaining stockpiles.
  The Blue Grass Army Depot in my home State of Kentucky has been home 
to the bulk of our Nation's legacy chemical weapons for decades. On 
Friday, the depot safely destroyed the last nerve-agent rocket in the 
U.S. arsenal.
  Last week marks a major milestone in an effort that dates back to 
President Reagan's call for a global prohibition on chemical weaponry 
altogether. After a decade of bilateral negotiations, the United States 
made an international commitment to ban their use, production, and 
stockpile for good.
  At that time, Blue Grass Army Depot stored over 500 tons of lethal 
chemical agents. The Army's initial plan for eliminating the depot's 
stockpile was incineration--literally burning the rockets. 
Understandably, local residents were concerned about the potential for 
poisonous leaks into the community, with schools and family homes 
literally in spitting distance.
  When I joined the Senate in 1985, our first victory was putting a 
stop to new munitions entering the Commonwealth. The second came when I 
passed legislation forcing the Army to explore more advanced disposal 
options that ensured the safety of local residents. Over the years, I 
have been proud to call greater national attention to this important 
local issue. I fought to bring home nearly $7 billion in Federal 
funding to support the responsible destruction of these munitions, and 
I will continue to fight for Kentuckians until the mission is complete.

  It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead this charge in the Senate 
and to push for the safety of Madison County families each step of the 
way. We wouldn't be here today without the singular focus and 
determination of community leaders like Craig Williams, an extremely 
effective local advocate who devoted much of his career to seeing this 
project through. And, of course, we owe a debt of gratitude to the 
operators, technicians, construction workers, and other staff for their 
work on the ground.
  Today is as much a story of local success as it is a reminder of 
worldwide significance. The United States is firmly planted in a wide 
international coalition that recognizes the moral imperative to reject 
chemical weapons, and unfortunately, that coalition is more important 
today than ever.
  The authoritarian regime in Moscow that escalated a brutal war in 
Europe last year is the same one that repeatedly and brazenly ignores 
the Chemical Weapons Convention that governs our efforts. Vladimir 
Putin has repeatedly used deadly nerve agents on foreign soil and 
supported the Assad regime's use of devastating sarin and chlorine 
against Syrian civilians.
  As we condemn this horror, the American people can be proud that our 
Nation stands squarely on the right side of history. Families in my 
home State of Kentucky can rest a little easier.
  Thanks to the dedication of so many, the United States has shown the 
world that our commitment to the global prohibition on chemical weapons 
is ironclad as ever.

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