Akaka Requests Information about State Department Actions to Address Technical Cooperation Program Proliferation Risks
Press Release
Akaka Requests Information about State Department Actions to Address Technical Cooperation Program Proliferation Risks
U.S. Senators Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), George V. Voinovich (R-OH), and Thomas R. Carper (D-DE) sent a letter today requesting that the Department of State provide an update on its actions and future plans to address proliferation risks with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Technical Cooperation (TC) Program. A March 2009 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report identified these risks, which include program funding going to U.S.-designated state sponsors of terrorism including Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Sudan; limited information sharing concerning proposed TC projects; and a lack of formal guidance and accountability in the TC fellows program.
The IAEA created the TC program to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including support for nuclear safety, the development of nuclear power, and applications for agriculture and healthcare. The United States provides approximately 25 percent of the TC program's annual budget, or about $20 million per year.
"The State Department must ensure that U.S. funding is not being used in a way that increases nuclear proliferation risks," Akaka said. "Senators Voinovich and Carper have joined me to ask the Department to provide its plans to address the most pressing proliferation risks identified in GAO's report. I am hopeful that the State Department can address these risks and further its cooperative working relationship with the IAEA."
Senator Akaka is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which has oversight responsibility over governmentwide management issues and U.S. relationships with international organizations. Senator Voinovich is the Subcommittee's Ranking Member.
Senator Carper is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Source