 |
Letter to The Honorable Byron L. Dorgan Chairman Dear Mr. Chairman, We urge you to delete all funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) from the upcoming omnibus appropriations bill. We support the bipartisan House decision to zero out funding for the new nuclear warhead and hope you will also take this course of action as you draft the Energy and Water portion of the omnibus bill.
We believe it is important to consider the adverse international nonproliferation consequences of proceeding with RRW. Limiting RRW to design and development will still be viewed internationally as the U.S. walking down the path toward new nuclear weapons. If the United States does not appear to be serious about nonproliferation and disarmament, its ability to limit other nations’ development of nuclear weapons will erode.
Former Senator Sam Nunn argued this point before Congress earlier this year, stating that proceeding with RRW would undermine U.S. efforts to “prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons.”
If Congress approves funding for the Energy Department to proceed with research and possible development of RRW, many in the international community will interpret this as another sign that the U.S. is walking away from its nonproliferation obligations, including Article VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The 118 countries of the Non-Aligned Movement have already cited development of RRW as contradictory to nuclear disarmament agreements signed by the United States. RRW will complicate efforts to win international support to bolster the beleaguered NPT system.
Furthermore, U.S. funding of RRW will buttress the arguments of nuclear hawks in Russia and China when they argue in favor of nuclear modernization in their respective nations.
The U.S. cannot simultaneously work toward upgrading its nuclear arsenal and successfully convince other nations that it is committed to reducing the role and number of nuclear weapons worldwide.
We urge you to work with your colleagues in Congress to restore U.S. leadership on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament rather than committing funding to this program.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Respectfully yours,
Susan Gordon, Director Mary Ellen McNish, General Secretary Amy Isaacs, National Director Terri Lodge, Coordinator Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director Ambassador Robert Grey Jr., Director Steven Monblatt, Co-Executive Director Rabbi David Saperstein, Co-Director T. Michael McNulty, SJ, Justice and Peace Director John Isaacs, Executive Director Maureen Shea, Director, Office of Government
Relations Andrew Genszler, Director for Advocacy Dr. Henry Kelly, President Joe Volk, Executive Secretary Paul Walker, Legacy Program Director Sister Carole Shinnick, SSND, Executive Director Marie Dennis, Director Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, Director, Washington
Office Jessica Wilbanks, Coordinator Christopher E. Paine, Director, Nuclear Program Sister Marge Clark, BVM, Lobbyist David Krieger, President Dave Robinson, Executive Director Kevin Martin, Executive Director Michael McCally, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Director Sara Lisherness, Director, Peace and Justice
Ministries Kevin Knobloch, President Rob Keithan, Director, Washington Office for
Advocacy James E. Winkler, General Secretary Susan Shaer, Executive Director |
