pElAgUS' 

Subject: Oppose Funding for New Nuclear Weapons

Dear Senator,

I urge you, as a member of the Senate Energy & Water Appropriations subcommittee, to oppose funding for the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program. The administration's own research shows that the current U.S. nuclear arsenal is safe and highly reliable. The United States does not need new nuclear bombs, but the RRW program tells the world that we do, undermining U.S. efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. The proposed RRW program makes little technical sense, particularly as a recent independent study found that the critical plutonium components of U.S.warheads are reliable for at least 85 years. Instead, we need a fundamental re-assessment of the future of our nuclear arsenal.

This spring, former Senator Sam Nunn testified that the RRW will be "misunderstood by our allies, exploited by our adversaries, complicate our work to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and make resolution of the Iran and North Korea challenges all the more difficult." Like Senator Nunn, I believe that the U.S. Congress should instead embrace the vision of a "world free of nuclear weapons."

I urge you to oppose funding for the RRW and to support a fundamental review of U.S. nuclear weapons policy.

Sincerely,

pelagus