Bipartisan Bill Calls for Continued Reductions in Nuclear Arsenal,
Investments in Children

Washington DC - U.S. Reps. Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) today reintroduced their “Global Security Priorities” Resolution.

The resolution recognizes “the paramount need to address the threat of international terrorism and protect the international security of the United States by reducing the number of and accessibility to nuclear weapons and preventing their proliferation;” calls for directing “a portion of the resulting savings toward child survival, hunger, and universal education;” and calls “on the President to take action to achieve these goals.”

The resolution notes that the United States and the Russian Federation have pledged to significantly reduce nuclear arms in coming years, resulting in up to $13 billion in annual savings. Importantly $1 billion of this savings would go to support the Nunn-Lugar Program. The resolution also calls for a significant portion of those savings to be directed toward investments in child nutrition, health care, and education programs.

Importantly, the resolution states that “addressing the needs of the very poor in the world, particularly children, reduces a source of international tension and local despair that contribute to terrorist initiatives.”

“It is an honor to work on this important resolution with Rep. McGovern. In assessing the risks posed by the possible use of nuclear weapons we are obligated as moral beings to think of the unthinkable. The world has changed dramatically over the last half century and so have the nature of the threats with which we must contend,” Rep. Lungren said.

“We now must worry about the possibility that al Qaeda or some other shadowy jihadist group might successfully obtain nuclear materials or weapons of mass destruction. Strengthening the Nunn-Lugar Threat Reduction Program will enhance our nation’s security. Savings from reduction on the size of our nuclear arsenal will target the recruiting grounds of potential terrorists by soft power initiatives such as the McGovern–Dole food program,” Rep. Lungren concluded.

“This resolution represents a strong, bipartisan commitment to making our world a safer, better place,” Rep. McGovern said.  “We believe that continued reduction in nuclear weapons is smart policy.  And we believe that improving the lives of poor children around the world is not just the moral thing to do – it also improves our security by enhancing our image, reducing global tensions and weakening the ability of terrorists to recruit adherents to their hateful agenda. I want to thank Rep. Lungren for his hard work and commitment to these issues.”

The resolution, H. Res. 278, will likely be referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

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Congressman Dan Lungren serves as Ranking Member on the House Administration Committee in addition to serving on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees