by Kingston Reif Background As part of his effort to win Republican support for the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in 2010, President Obama submitted to lawmakers a 10-year plan to maintain and modernize US nuclear warheads, strategic delivery systems, and their supporting infrastructure. Contained in what was originally known as the “Section […]
Blown Opportunity: The Folly of Exempting Nuclear Weapons from Sequestration
by Kingston Reif While there is widespread agreement that sequestration is not a wise way to manage reductions in military spending, it is the law of the land. Unless Congress changes the legislation, the Pentagon will be forced to find $500 billion in spending reductions over the next decade beyond what is has already planned. […]
Analysis of the Conference Version of the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
by Kingston Reif and Laicie Olson On December 18 the Senate and House Armed Services Committees filed the Conference version of the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Click here for the text of the Conference report and here for the Joint Explanatory Statement. The House is scheduled to take up and approve the bill […]
A Review of the House Version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Authorization Bill: Nuclear Weapons and Missile Defense
by Kingston Reif On May 16 the House approved the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310) by a vote of 299-120. The bill provides $554 billion for national defense (function 050). This is an increase of approximately $4 billion above the President’s request and $8 billion above the Budget Control Act’s FY 2013 […]
Energy and Water Conference Agreement Protects Nuclear Material Security Programs, Begins to Reduce Bloated Nuclear Weapons Budget
by Kingston Reif Last night the House and Senate filed the Conference report on an Omnibus appropriations bill that includes the remaining nine Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 appropriations bills that have yet to be enacted. House and Senate leaders are hoping for swift passage of the bill in order to avert a government shutdown, as […]
