WASHINGTON (May 23, 2007) – In a dramatic rebuke to the Bush administration’s plans for new nuclear weapons, the House Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee today eliminated funding for the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program, calling instead for a comprehensive nuclear strategy and stockpile plan. The RRW program called for spending $119 million to design the first of a new generation of nuclear warheads.

Below is a statement by Lisbeth Gronlund, co-director and senior scientist of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists:
 
“This stunning reversal hopefully heralds a new and badly needed approach to U.S. nuclear policy. The United States doesn’t need new nuclear weapons – it needs a policy that is not mired in Cold War thinking. The United States still has a nuclear war-fighting policy, and maintains thousands of nuclear weapons on high alert, ready to be launched within minutes. It’s time for a dramatically new approach, one that will eliminate the nuclear threat that hangs over the planet.
 
“The House subcommittee rightfully put the first nail in the RRW program’s coffin. The program is unnecessary and would reduce U.S. security. The current nuclear stockpile is safe and highly reliable, and will remain so for many decades. If the United States moves ahead with new nuclear weapons, it would undercut U.S. efforts to prevent other nations from acquiring nuclear weapons.”