May 21, 2008

Rep. Pearce offers amendments to restore RRW funds and increase pit manufacturing funding

To: New Mexicans

Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM-2) yesterday offered two amendments to the House defense authorization bill.

One amendment would restore $10 million for the Reliable Replacement Warhead. The Energy Department had requested $10 million for the new warhead. The House Armed Services Committee last week zeroed out the funds. Rep. Pearce's amendment would restore the funds.

The second amendment would increase funding for pit manufacturing by $50 million. The Armed Services Committee had reduced the administration's budget request for two pit manufacturing accounts totaling $199 million to $149, a $50 million reduction. Rep. Pearce's second amendment would restore that cut. "Pits" are the essential core of nuclear warheads.

Both amendments are being considered today (Wednesday) by the House Rules Committee. If approved, one or both of the amendments would come to the House floor tomorrow when the defense authorization bill will be open to amendments.

Copies of the amendments are attached. They are also on the House Rules Committee website at http://www.rules.house.gov/amendment_details.aspx?NewsID=3340
[Pearce (NM)

#39 - Would amend title XXXI (DOE National Security Programs) to remove $10 million in funding for energy conservation on military installations and increase funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead program by $10 million.

#40 - Provides that of the $9.3 billion authorized for the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (title XXXI of the bill), the amount authorized for the directed stockpile is increased by $50 million, of which $35 million is for Pit Manufacturing and $15 million is for Pit Manufacturing Capability. The increase is offset by a $50 million reduction in funds for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative.]
Reps. Heather Wilson (R-NM-1) and Tom Udall (D-NM-3) should be encouraged to vote against both amendments if they come to the House floor. Given the short notice, I encourage you to contact their Washington, D.C. offices by phone. That is about the only way the message will get through in time. Congressional offices can be reached through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121. The switchboard is open 24 hours a day. Many congressional offices close at 6 p.m. ET, but they have answering machines that record short messages.

Please forward this message to other New Mexicans. Thanks for your help!

Best,

David Culp, Legislative Representative
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers)
245 Second St., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 547-6000, ext. 2517
david@fcnl.org

--------------------------------------
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
107 Cienega Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Tel (505) 986-1973
Fax (505) 986-0997
www.nuclearactive.org
--------------------------------------

[Click here to download the Pit Manufacturing Amendment or the RRW Amendment.]

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well they can at least count on Udall.

Anonymous said...

Whay a joke, Pearse couldn't get a 10 cent increase. A campaign gimick, and not a very good one.

Anonymous said...

This guy has about as much clout as Mikey does in Washington, and you know how much that is! Rep..Who?

Anonymous said...

Here's something CCNS, and LASG probably play over and over to get warm fuzzies about Obama. Guess what it would mean for LANL?

http://www.macsmind.com/wordpress/2008/02/27/obama-plans-to-disarm-america/

Anonymous said...

In the old days, St. Pete would have made a few calls to the right people to restored all of that funding and then some extra funds, just for good measure. Those days are gone.

It's going to suck working at LANL now that St. Pete is leaving us.

Anonymous said...

It is interesting 10:03. Certainly makes me wonder what size LANL will be w/o St. Pete's influence (or what size it would already be for that matter.)

Anonymous said...

Thank you to all who made calls. Please be sure to thank Representative Udall for his vote.

To: New Mexicans

Yesterday (Thursday), Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM-2) offered a floor amendment to restore $10 million previously cut for the Reliable Replacement Warhead. The amendment was soundly defeated 144-271. A total of 44 Republicans opposed the Pearce amendment.

Earlier, the House Armed Services Committee had rejected the administration's request of $10 million for the warhead in its version of the defense authorization bill. Pearce's floor amendment was to that bill.

Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM-1) voted for the amendment, and Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM-3) voted against.

There will likely be more votes on the issue in the House and Senate, but yesterday's vote was a significant victory. Sen. Pete Domenici will play a key role in the fate of the new warhead, as the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. He should be encouraged to oppose it.

Rep. Pearce had proposed a second amendment to restore funds cut from Energy Department's "pit manufacturing" accounts. That amendment was not allowed by the House Rules Committee.

Please feel free to forward this message to other New Mexicans. Thanks for your help!

David Culp, Legislative Representative
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers)
245 Second St., N.E. Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 547-6000, ext. 2517
Email: david@fcnl.org
Web: www.fcnl.org


--------------------------------------
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
107 Cienega Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Tel (505) 986-1973
Fax (505) 986-0997
www.nuclearactive.org
--------------------------------------

Anonymous said...

I don't know what is worse, Pearce trying to "repeant for his sins of the past", or the organizations who should refrain from weakening the strength of America

Anonymous said...

interesting update at
http://www.abqjournal.com/
abqnews/index.php?option=
com_content&task=view&
id=7367&&Itemid=31

(may be worth posting, rather than a comment)