House Passes Quigley Amendments to Save Taxpayers Billions in Unnecessary Nuclear Weapons Spending
WASHINGTON – Today, the House passed two amendments offered by U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) to highlight the costs of our wasteful nuclear weapons programs in the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes spending on defense programs.
"I was very disappointed to see that this year's defense authorization uses off-budget gimmicks to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on defense programs the Pentagon says we do not need while refusing to provide the Department of Defense with the flexibility it needs to prioritize spending in this difficult budget environment," said Rep. Quigley. "Although I voted against the NDAA, I'm glad that Congress took a much needed step towards smarter spending by including my two amendments that promote a more modest and responsible nuclear weapons budget."
Rep. Quigley's first amendment, which was cosponsored by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) and Jared Polis (CO-02), requires the Department of Defense to submit a report to Congress justifying the department's plans to increase the number of new nuclear-armed cruise missiles, known as the Long Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO), to the U.S. arsenal. This amendment comes in light of new information that the Air Force is planning to procure 1,000 LRSOs, which is double the size of the existing nuclear-armed cruise missile stock. Many experts believe that we need to reassess the strategic need for a new cruise missile before investing an estimated $9 billion into the program. The report will outline how the number of planned missiles aligns with U.S. nuclear employment strategy and the costs associated.
Rep Quigley's second amendment requires the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a report to Congress comparing the costs associated with extending the life of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with the costs associated with procuring an entirely new ICBM. By comparing costs, we can better determine the affordability and practicality of developing a new ICBM at the same time the Department of Defense is spending billions rebuilding the rest of the nuclear triad, including procuring new strategic submarines, long-range bombers, and air-launched cruise missiles.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that the U.S. is likely to spend $348 billion maintaining and modernizing the nuclear weapons triad over the next decade. An additional report from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) found that over the next thirty years, the U.S. plans to spend approximately $1 trillion maintaining the current nuclear arsenal, buying replacement systems, and upgrading existing nuclear bombs and warheads.
Rep. Quigley is an outspoken advocate for nuclear arms reduction, using his role as the only Illinois member of the House Appropriations Committee to overhaul wasteful defense spending. Last year, he urged a one-third reduction in America's ICBMs stockpile, and worked to cut $23.7 million in wasteful funding for the B61 nuclear bomb program. He is the author of Reinventing Government: The Federal Budget, a report which offers 60 recommendations to save $2 trillion over the next 10 years.
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