Support the SANE Act!
In February, Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced the SANE Act to cut the bloated nuclear weapons budget. Since then over 40 other members of Congress have co-sponsored this critical piece of legislation. Please contact your New York representative today and urge your member of Congress to cosponsor the SANE Act! If your representative is already a co-sponsor, you can still make a difference! Take a minute to let them know you appreciate their position and ask them to urge their fellow colleagues to get behind the SANE Act!
The Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act, H.R. 3974, cuts over $100 billion from nuclear weapons programs over the next ten years. The bill calls for the reduction of the total number of deployed nuclear warheads and their delivery systems, the prohibition of developing new nuclear delivery vehicles, and the termination of wasteful funding for nuclear facilities.
Some examples of the cuts the bill proposes are:
- prohibit the creation of a new long-range penetrating bomber and prevent the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from becoming nuclear-capable,
- terminate plans for the development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system (ICBM),
delay plans for the development of new nuclear-capable SSBN-X submarines and limit their ultimate- eliminate funding to the Department of Energy for the B-61 and W-78 nuclear warhead Life Extension Programs, and
- terminate funds for the CMRR-Nuclear Facility and the MOX Fuel Plant
It has been over 20 years since the end of the Cold War and yet the United States still plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to maintain its outmoded nuclear arsenal. We need new priorities in government spending – funding for states and our communities and not for unnecessary and expensive nuclear weapons!
Peace Action New York State sees the SANE Act as a critical first step in addressing the federal government’s misguided spending priorities. Passing this bill would demonstrate the United States’ commitment to working toward a world free of nuclear weapons. Please ask your representative to co-sponsor the SANE Act and support reduced spending on nuclear weapons.
We, the undersigned, ask that you please co-sponsor H.R. 3974, the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act. This bill would significantly reduce unnecessary spending on our country’s nuclear weapons program and save the U.S. $117 billion over 10 years.
Given the current economic crisis, it is wasteful to spend billions of dollars to maintain and improve nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. The United States currently spends hundreds of billions of dollars to maintain a nuclear weapons arsenal fit for a nonexistent Cold War. Nuclear weapons are ineffective against today’s security threats and they use scarce financial and intellectual resources that could be better invested in our communities at home. We ask that you co-sponsor H.R. 3974 to show your support for returning federal spending priorities to support human needs and not excessive militarism.
The SANE Act is critical to achieving President Obama’s vision of the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. By co-sponsoring this bill, you will be leading our country toward both economic and national security. Your constituents ask that you stand behind it.
Thank you.