Kaptur statement on NNSA weapons program

Welcome, General Klotz, Dr. Cook, and General Davis. We appreciate you appearing before the Subcommittee this afternoon.

Since this Subcommittee last met to review the National Nuclear Security Administration budget, much has transpired. Russia's brazen intervention in Ukraine has caused great concern in this country and around the world. Just this week, the assassination of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov provided a deadly reminder of Russian President Putin's capability.

It is through that lens that we must assess our strategic future, including nuclear security.

There is nothing I take more seriously in my role as a Member of Congress than decisions of war and peace in general, and nuclear weapons in particular.

Still, nuclear weapons serve as only one component of our national nuclear strategy. The NNSA nonproliferation program also plays a central role in securing nuclear material globally and provides a rare look into the Russian nuclear program.

Congress, and this Subcommittee in particular, must balance the need to maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile with the importance of reducing global vulnerabilities through nonproliferation efforts.

Additionally, the tremendous amount of money spent on our nuclear capabilities compels a sharp attention to ensuring financial responsibility.

The NNSA makes up a sizeable portion of this Subcommittee's bill, with nuclear weapons representing seventy percent of NNSA's total budget.

This proposal further increases funding significantly for nuclear weapons—$667 million over last year—even in defiance of sequestration's harsh realities.

Mindful of the many needs of our nation, this Subcommittee must ensure precious resources are provided as part of a coherent strategy.

Further, the NNSA must demonstrate a continued ability to better manage projects, particularly in the weapons account. I remain concerned about repeated and astonishing cost increases and schedule delays that plague the NNSA. The nuclear deterrent is too important and resources too precious to waste funds pursuing unnecessary or unrealistic proposals.

I look forward to hearing your testimony and discussing your budget proposal and plans for the coming year.

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the time.