Council for a Livable World

Council for a Livable World launched a campaign today targeting six Republicans leaders in the House and Senate regarding their support for cuts to vital nuclear security programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration.

We targeted House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran.  While we were unable to run an ad in House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen’s district, we are doing some local media work there.  

This morning beginning at 6am, in each member’s district or state, right-wing radio talk shows played ads featuring Center Senior Military Fellow Lt. General Robert Gard calling them out for their cuts to programs that keep nuclear weapons material out of the hands of terrorists. The ads can be heard here on the Council’s website.

We’ve also set up a Action Center so that you can e-mail or call your Representatives or Senators and urge them to restore cuts to Non Proliferation Programs!

For more information on Council’s campaign please contact Bridget Nolan (202) 546-0795 ext 2113 or bnolan@clw.org

(https://livableworld.org/calendar/)

The Continuing Resolution saga continues. Last week, the Senate rejected both the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee versions of a bill to fund the government for the rest of Fiscal Year 2011.

On March 9, the Senate rejected the House-passed Continuing Resolution that would have cut the President’s budget by $100 billion by a vote of 44 – 56 and a Senate Appropriations Committee version that would cut $51 billion from the President’s request by a vote of 42 – 58.

On Friday, March 11, the House Appropriations Committee proposed another short-term Continuing Resolution to fund the government until April 8.

The House is expected to vote on the bill on March 15 — beware of the ides of March. The Senate should vote later this week.

Both houses of Congress are in recess next week.

Sporadic negotiations continue on a funding bill for the rest of the year.

The Senate Appropriations Committee bill rejected by the Senate had proposed to restore about $300 million for the nuclear non-proliferation program, still a reduction of about $360 million from the Administration’s request compared to a $648 million cut in the House bill.

With that budget rejected, the account is still being funded at $2.1 billion in the Continuing Resolution, about $550 million less that the Administration request while funding for nuclear complex modernization remains at the Administration-requested level of $7 billion.

It is important to focus on a few numbers:

$2.1 billion – spending level for “Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation” since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2011 that began on October 1, 2010.

          $551 billion less than the Administration’s request for Fiscal Year 2011

$7.0 billion – spending level for “National Nuclear Security Administration – Weapons Activities” (Nuclear complex modernization)

          $624 million above the Fiscal Year 2010 level

The $2.3 billion level for “Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation” proposed by the Senate Appropriations Committee has not been adopted by the Senate or approved by the House.

Click  here for a complete chart of the confusing funding figures by the incomparable Kingston Reif.