Amendment No. 10 Offered By Mr. Kratovil

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chair, there is a real and current threat to the United States and our allies around the world from countries, such as Iran and North Korea, who are developing with the intention to employ missiles which have devastating potential. With the provocative rhetoric and increasing missile tests by North Korea on an almost daily basis, this is not the time to cut funding for missile defense. I would like to commend Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio and Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona for their tireless work on the Armed Services Committee in advocating for the defense of our nation through a strong missile defense.

However, Mr. Chair, I have to stand in opposition to the Franks Amendment that would increase funding for the Missile Defense Agency by $1.2 billion with offsets found in the Environmental Management fund. I cannot stress enough that I encourage Congress and the Administration to increase funding for missile defense; however, the mechanism proposed by this amendment is ill-advised.

The Environmental Management program within the Department of Energy is responsible for cleaning up the waste of our nation's nuclear weapons production sites. Specifically, in the State of South Carolina, the Savannah River Site is a key Department of Energy industrial complex dedicated to the National Nuclear Security Administration program that supports the Department of Energy national security and non-proliferation programs. The Environmental Management program addresses the reduction of risks at the Savannah River Site through safe stabilization, treatment, and disposition of legacy nuclear materials, spent nuclear fuel, and waste. The Savannah River Site remains an important asset to this country as it was during the Cold War.

Every member of this body is aware that the Franks amendment has nothing to do with reducing nuclear waste cleanup funding and that it has everything to do with setting spending priorities within the federal government. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Democrat majority and the Administration, a policy of fiscal restraint has been imposed on the Department of Defense, while the rest of the federal government enjoys a policy of fiscal largesse.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source