Legislation to grant President permanent waiver authority over Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program requirements
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the first day of his second term as a Representative to the United States Congress, Congressman Adam Schiff introduced "The Threat Reduction Implementation Act," a bill granting the President permanent waiver authority over Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) certification requirements to prevent dangerous delays in this critical defense program. The CTR program is part of a broad U.S. effort in the former Soviet Union to monitor and reduce weapons-usable nuclear material and other weapons of mass destruction.
"Although the President has broad authority to use force in the war on terrorism, ironically, he is significantly constrained in using cooperative means to destroy weapons of mass destruction," said Congressman Schiff. "The continued, insecure existence of highly dangerous and portable weapons in Russia is a direct threat to the American people. Avoiding lengthy and unnecessary delays in the Nunn-Lugar Program, and specifically with the chemical weapons elimination project in Russia, is in the strong national interest of the United States and justifies granting the President permanent waiver authority. "
Eleven years ago, the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program was born out of the necessity to ensure that the nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union would not fall into the wrong hands as the Soviet empire was coming apart. While much has been done to dismantle these weapons, continuing economic and social weaknesses in Russia, coupled with an eroding early warning system, poorly secured Russian weapons materials, and poorly paid Russian weapons scientists and security personnel, increase the threat of mass destruction on an unprecedented scale.
During the FY03 Defense Authorization and Appropriations debates, the Administration requested permanent waiver authority over many certification requirements in order to permit elements of the program to go forward. Only a temporary waiver was provided, and perennial delays over certification requirements have threatened the program's effectiveness.
Securing Russia's arsenal is a massive challenge, but not an impossible one. While the costs of a terrorist attack on the United States involving Russian expertise or smuggled Russian nuclear, chemical or biological materials are potentially staggering, funding for the simple measures that can prevent these attacks is both sensible and urgent. Robust and uninterrupted funding of this very critical program would accelerate the progress in reducing these threats to United States security and help the Russian Federation secure its weapons stockpile.
During his first term in Congress, Schiff co-authored the Russian Federation Debt Reduction for Non-Proliferation Act, aimed at safeguarding Russia's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill provides a means to forgive certain Russian debts to the United States in exchange for Russian investment in programs to prevent the proliferation of "loose nukes" – unsecured weapons of mass destruction. The legislation was included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act and signed into law this past fall.