Date: 2011-07-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I would like to thank Representative FORTENBERRY for working with me along with Representative LARSEN and GARAMENDI in order to offer this important amendment. This amendment is a small restoration of funds in response to a $468 million cut to defense nonproliferation programs in this billequivalent to an 18% reduction in funding. The $35 million would come from the Departmental Administrative account. This transfer of funding will contribute to reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism. The danger that nuclear materials or weapons might spread to countries hostile to the United States or to terrorists is one of the gravest dangers to the United Statesnonproliferation programs are critical to U.S. national security and must be a top priority. The funding for Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) specifically supports securing vulnerable nuclear material around the world in 4 years. in order to prevent this deadly material from falling into the hands of terrorists intent on doing us harm. Nonproliferation programs are the most costeffective way to achieve these urgent goals and objectives. Last year at the Nuclear Security summit which brought together nearly 50 heads of state in Washington. President Obama secured significant commitments from countries willing to give up their nuclear weaponsusable material. The United States must follow through on its international commitments to help remove and secure these materials. Failing to do so will jeopardize the effort to secure these materials in 4 years. result in unacceptable delays and complicate further negotiations with countries who have vulnerable nuclear bombgrade materials. Specifically. a $35 million increase would prevent delays of at least 1 year to Highly Enriched Uranium reactor conversions in Poland. Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan. Ghana. and Nigeria. Reactor conversions are directly linked to removal of bombgrade material: removals of vulnerable material from these sites that cannot take place until the reactors are converted. These countries are among the NNSAs highest priorities to secure material. convert research reactors and remove vulnerable HEU. These funds would also expedite by 1 year the development of a new low enriched uranium fuel for the conversion of 6 U.S. High Performance Research reactors that currently use approximately 150 kilograms6 nuclear weapons worthof highly enriched uranium annually. The $35 million will help not only the U.S. fuel development program but also our R&D efforts with Russia for conversion of their high performance reactors that need this same new type of high density fuel. Over 70 research reactors that should be shut down or converted are in Russia. and there has been recent progress on converting at least 6 reactors. We are right at the cusp of success in addressing these dangerous Russian reactors. Cuts to funds now would send a bad message and squander an important opportunity to move forward and pursue cost sharing on some of the remaining reactors. The 911 Commission and of the Nuclear Posture Commission noted the urgency of addressing this grave danger. with the Nuclear Posture Commission warning that "The urgency arises from the imminent danger of nuclear terrorism if we pass a tipping point in nuclear proliferation." I urge support for this modest increase of $35 million that will help address the risk of delays to the most urgent efforts for removing and securing vulnerable materials. stemming from FY11 appropriations cuts. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Nebraska