[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 195 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1096-E1097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                OPPOSITION TO EXPLOSIVE NUCLEAR TESTING

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. DINA TITUS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2025

  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my opposition to President 
Trump's announcement that the United States will resume explosive 
nuclear weapons testing. As a former political science professor, 
scholar of history of nuclear weaponry, and now a Member of Congress 
representing Southern Nevada, I have learned a thing or two about our 
nuclear legacy.
  Nevada was the focal point of nuclear development during the Cold 
War. Over four decades, the Nevada Test Site, which is located just 100 
miles north of Las Vegas, hosted over 900 nuclear tests--more than any 
other location in the United States. Throughout the 1950s, visible 
mushroom clouds often loomed in the distance as people enjoyed all that 
Las Vegas had to offer. These tests were conducted to better understand 
the power and effects of nuclear weapons, and the site played a major 
role in shaping national and international policies regarding nuclear 
testing and non-proliferation.
  The radiation given off by the more than 100 atmospheric tests, 
however, had devastating impacts on those downwind. The fallout caused 
cancer and premature deaths for thousands across the West. That's why I 
introduced the PRESUME Act which would ensure radiation-exposed 
veterans receive their rightful benefits from the VA. The 800 
underground tests sometimes vented out radioactive contaminants 
entering the air and the groundwater supply, a problem that we are 
still dealing with today.
  Earlier this year, the Nevada state legislature passed a resolution 
urging the federal government to maintain the moratorium on nuclear 
weapons testing that went into effect in 1992, citing risks of 
environmental damage and health hazards from previous tests at the 
Nevada National Security Site.
  You may remember, in 2020 the first Trump Administration called for a 
resumption of nuclear testing in breach of the Comprehensive Nuclear 
Test Ban Treaty. Back then, I led the charge in the FY21 NDAA process 
to ensure that explosive nuclear testing could not be resurrected in 
the United States.
  But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Plus ca 
change, plus c'est la meme chose.
  On October 29, Trump announced that he is directing the Department of 
Defense to resume nuclear testing in a disastrous policy reversal, but 
not surprising as this is featured in Project 2025--the policy 
blueprint for the Trump Administration. On page 399, Project 2025 calls 
for the rejection of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This would not 
just allow nuclear testing here at home but will also give the green 
light to other nuclear powers around the world to do the same. The 
result would put us on a collision course of catastrophic proportions 
with Russia and China, allow the proliferation of these weapons to non-
nuclear states that seek its development, and put the health of 
Nevadans once again in jeopardy.
  By foolishly announcing his intention to resume nuclear explosive 
testing, Trump will trigger a dangerous nuclear arms race that would 
blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. In fact, Vladimir Putin 
has already directed his forces to prepare a resumption of nuclear 
testing and, just this week, the Washington Post reported that China is 
rapidly expanding and modernizing infrastructure at its nuclear testing 
site in the Xinjiang Province.
  There is no technical, national security, or political reason for the 
U.S. to resume nuclear explosive testing. If a nuclear power resumes 
testing because the U.S. is abandoning the testing moratorium, those 
countries will develop new types of warheads and close the scientific 
and technical advantage we have always enjoyed in warhead design. It 
would be a net detriment to U.S. national security. Furthermore, at the 
Nevada National Security Site, scientists do groundbreaking experiments 
and simulations on our existing stockpile to make sure our nuclear 
arsenal is safe, secure, and reliable. These sub-critical tests are 
done without an explosion of any kind.
  With the President's announcement, we have abandoned our leadership 
position in arms control and non-proliferation. Note: For the first 
time ever, the U.S. was the only country to vote no on a recent UN 
resolution supporting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the global 
nuclear testing moratorium. Not even North Korea opposed it. What kind 
of signal does this send? Amidst all this nuclear saber-rattling, the 
New START treaty, which is

[[Page E1097]]

the last remaining arms control agreement between the United States and 
Russia, expires in exactly 77 days.
  For these reasons, I introduced the RESTRAIN Act to prohibit the 
resumption of explosive nuclear testing and prevent any funds from 
going toward Trump's misguided policy.
  Nevadans are overwhelmingly opposed to the resumption of explosive 
testing. In a 2024 study done by Searchlight Research, 73 percent of 
Nevadans said they are opposed to explosive nuclear testing on any 
kind.
  President Trump may think that testing will make the country safer, 
but in reality, it puts the whole world in jeopardy and makes Nevadans 
sicker in the process. I urge all of my colleagues to join me and 
cosponsor my RESTRAIN Act.

                          ____________________