Senate Panel Worried About ‘Significant’ Nuclear Vulnerabilities
July 25, 2014
by John Donnelly
A new Senate Appropriations Committee report warns in stark terms that the Obama administration is not doing enough to address “significant quantities of nuclear and radiological materials” that are “still unsecure and vulnerable to theft” — including in the United States.
The threats include “thousands of radiological sources at medical facilities in the United States and overseas” that are “not well protected and could be used for radiological dispersal devices, which could cause serious economic, psychological and social disruption.”
The White House proposed a 20 percent cut in spending on nuclear nonproliferation programs in the coming fiscal year, but the Senate Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee has proposed restoring all of that.
The Senate panel’s report (PDF), released Thursday, explains why. It credits the administration with successes, including eliminating highly enriched uranium from a dozen countries. But it argues in no uncertain terms that this is no time for complacency.
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