Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, my amendment increases the nonproliferation and disarmament funds by $15 million, from $20 million to $35 million. The effect of this amendment, therefore, is to restore the full amount of the President's request for the nonproliferation and disarmament fund. Why should we do that? Why should we meet the President's request for funding of this account?
Perhaps the single greatest threat we face as a Nation is from terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction. It is why we went to war in Iraq. It is why we established the Department of Homeland Security, to address this significant threat to American lives. And within the threat of terrorist possession of weapons of mass destruction, the greatest danger within that threat is the potential access of terrorists to nuclear material and the ability to create a nuclear weapon.
We will survive another biological attack like the anthrax attacks. We will survive chemical attacks. But a nuclear attack in this country, on our soil or against our troops around the world would fundamentally change this Nation. And around the world there are literally hundreds of facilities that have some kilos, others that have tons of plutonium or highly enriched uranium in an unsecured condition.
The technology of the atomic bomb is a half century old. It is not difficult to replicate. Obtaining the nuclear material is the terrorists' main obstacle and that challenge may be far too easily overcome.
Removing the weapons usable material from the most vulnerable facilities around the world is a national security imperative for this country. What are we waiting for? It is far easier to prevent the theft of nuclear material than to track down the thieves after the material is gone. Fifty million dollars for a global cleanout of this material would be sufficient for several years if we were maximally efficient; $35 million, the President's request, is barely adequate; $20, what we do today, is simply irresponsible.
The State Department has identified 24 top targeted sites of vulnerable stockpiles. If we look at our pace over the last decade, in August of 2002 in Project Vinca operation we removed 48 kilos of highly enriched uranium, enough to make one to three nuclear bombs from a vulnerable site in Yugoslavia.
To succeed we had to go hat in hand to a private organization, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, for $5 million. Project Sapphire some years before that airlifted 600 kilos of highly enriched uranium away from a vulnerable location in Kazakhstan.
We have had a total of three efforts like this in the last 10 years. At that pace our work will never be done. Our risks will be unacceptably high.
Meeting our national security needs in the post Cold War period means addressing the most immediate threats first and with adequate resources. Restoring the funds to the nonproliferation and disarmament account in an amount requested by the President is what this amendment would do. I ask for Members' support.