22 Nov. 2004 | Friends Committee on National Legislation [ The Quaker Lobby ]
[ Here is the content of the email sent out by FCNL: ]
Congratulations! You won an important victory for nuclear disarmament!
On November 20, Congress said ‘NO’ to new nuclear weapons! The omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 deleted all funds for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) and advanced concepts for nuclear weapons.
In addition, there will be no funds allocated for “advanced test readiness,” a program that reduces the time needed to prepare for a nuclear explosion at the Nevada Test Site. Funds for the modern plutonium pit facility were cut from $30 million to $7 million, and none of this can be used to select a site for the facility.
This is a remarkable victory for every FCNL supporter who helped build the movement to stop the Bush administration’s drive to develop new nuclear weapons.
This victory would not have been possible without the leadership of Rep. David Hobson (OH), Chairman of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, whose sustained opposition to funding these programs was critical.
Developing a new generation of nuclear weapons should never again be a policy of the United States government. As the U.S. tries to negotiate an end to nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea, this “do as I say, not as I do” approach to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons is reckless and already shows signs of failure.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) called the elimination of funds for new nuclear weapons a “consequential step” that “should send a very loud message to the administration.” While FCNL will continue to need your support in resisting programs that fuel nuclear proliferation, militarism, and instability throughout the world, the elimination of these funds is an important victory that sets us on the right path.
Thank you again to the FCNL supporters who called, faxed, emailed, and wrote their members of Congress. You can be sure that those messages played a key role in this year’s decision to eliminate funds for new nuclear weapons. We depend on you and you did a great job.
