National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chair, my amendment, which I am proud to sponsor with Representative Blumenauer, makes a small, sensible reduction to unnecessary nuclear weapons spending.

The National Defense Authorization that we have before us this week authorizes hundreds of millions of dollars for our nuclear weapons program, even $65 million to reduce an additional low-yield warhead. While the threats that we face around the world are different than what they were a few years ago, we cannot afford to sacrifice the fiscal security of our Nation in the name of national security.

Spending more than we have and more than we need to on the military makes us less secure, rather than more secure, by mortgaging our future and that of future generations to those foreign nations which hold our debt.

My amendment would simply make a small start by reducing the funding for the National Security Administration's weapons account by $198 million, the exact amount that the agency itself says that it doesn't need.

Let me be clear: This amendment will maintain all of our nuclear capabilities and research; but for a body that should be making the hard choices to get our budget under control, why should we be giving the National Security Administration more money than they want, need, or are asking for?

We need to start getting our budget under control. This is a small step. I offered other amendments that were blocked. This one is allowed. I hope that my Republican and Democratic colleagues can come together to show that we are serious about cutting unnecessary spending and reducing our deficit.

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Our nuclear arsenal is capable of ending human life on the planet five to seven times. I don't understand the need for redundancy when it comes to the extinction of humanity. Once should be more than enough to kill every man, woman, and child on the face of the planet. My amendment doesn't address all of that, but it does make a cut of $198 million in unnecessary spending for nuclear weapons.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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