[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MISGUIDED NUCLEAR POLICY

  (Mr. GARAMENDI asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to 
address our misguided nuclear policy. For nearly 80 years, the threat 
of nuclear weapons has loomed large. As nations rearm and great power 
competition reemerges, we must remember the dangers of the past and 
avoid a new nuclear arms race.
  For decades, stockpiling nuclear weapons gave us the power to destroy 
civilization many, many times over but did not provide greater 
security. After countless close calls, leaders wisely chose arms 
control, realizing that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be 
fought.
  Sadly, we seem to have forgotten those lessons and have begun 
modernizing our arsenal, mistakenly believing that it will deliver 
security. Across the nuclear enterprise, costs soar while goals remain 
unclear.
  Congress must debate the cost effectiveness of these modernization 
plans and stop the escalatory spiral before it is too late. Too often, 
those with the most strident voices carry the day.

                          ____________________