Exploding Nuclear Budget

EDITOR'S NOTES:

World Federalists,

The so-called "nuclear modernization" scheme documented here is euphemistically described for the public as a Life Extension Program. Don't kid yourself. President Trump's budget request for nuclear weaponry signals plans for nuclear warfare. It's an extremely dangerous Life Extinction Program that is sparking a nuclear arms race, exactly what isn't needed. What's needed for world peace is for the United Nations to transform into a "new UN" -- a world federal union government under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (aka, Earth Constitution).

Article originally published by Tri-Valley CARES

National Nuclear Security Administration’s Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request:

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has just released its detailed budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, which starts on October 1st of this year. The NNSA will use the requested funding to “modernize,” or redesign, U.S. nuclear warheads. The NNSA request is 20% higher than last year’s request and more than 50% higher than the annual funding level when President Trump took office in 2016.

This is the President’s funding request, yet the power of the purse ultimately lies with Congress. Therefore, it is important to note that the money request has to be authorized and appropriated. The budget will go through “markups” in the Senate and House Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittees. Then, it will be marked up in the full Senate and House Appropriations committees. The House and the Senate will seek to resolve differences between their two versions of the bill. Then, each chamber will vote on the resultant bill. A similar process happens in the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, which authorize nuclear spending limits. When final bills are passed by both chambers, they will be sent to the President to sign into law.

This process will likely take most of the year, and in some years a stalemate has resulted in a “continuing resolution” to fund the government. Expeditiously passing a budget during an election year - particularly one in which the President has been impeached – may prove difficult. This also means that the budget request can be altered substantially by Congress before it goes to the President to sign it into law.

Throughout the coming year, Tri-Valley CAREs and allies will be working to curb this dangerous escalation in nuclear weapons spending.

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