[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8589]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE NUCLEAR CRUISE MISSILE RECONSIDERATION ACT OF 2017 
          AND THE SMARTER APPROACH TO NUCLEAR EXPENDITURES ACT

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2017

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing two pieces of 
legislation, along with Senator Markey in the Senate, that bring us 
closer to a more rational U.S. nuclear posture.
  The Nuclear Cruise Missile Reconsideration Act of 2017 would limit 
Department of Defense and Department of Energy spending on the next 
generation air-launched nuclear cruise missile (ALCM), known as the 
Long Range Standoff weapon (LRSO), until the Trump administration 
submits a Nuclear Posture Review to Congress. The Air Force plans to 
replace 575 existing ALCMs with 1,000 or more LRSOs. The total cost to 
build this missile and life-extend its warhead (known as the W80-4) is 
projected at $20-30 billion.
  The Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act would enable 
the U.S. to maintain a strong nuclear deterrent without shortchanging 
combat readiness and operations by strategically sizing our nuclear 
weapons programs. This bill would save us more than $100 billion over 
10 years by dialing back redundant nuclear weapons systems.
  Current U.S. nuclear weapons planning calls for spending $400 billion 
over the next decade and at least $1 trillion over the next 30 years to 
maintain and recapitalize our entire arsenal. This escalation would 
build a nuclear force far exceeding what the Pentagon and security 
experts have said is necessary to meet our national security 
objectives.
  We are headed down an unsustainable path. Our all-the-above approach 
to recapitalizing every leg of the nuclear triad will inevitably push 
out Army, Navy, and Air Force conventional priorities, including what 
we need to counter terrorism and protect our servicemembers. We have to 
make some tough decisions for the sake of fiscal stability, and these 
bills are a step in the right direction.

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