In a recently released Issue Brief, ACA Scoville Fellow Rob Golan-Vilella looks at the impact of the ongoing battles over the federal budget on government programs aimed at preventing terrorists from obtaining nuclear weapons-usable materials. While the Obama administration last year called for increased spending in these areas, Rob reports that the newly elected House of Representatives is proposing to reduce funding for many of these programs.
There is an overwhelming, bipartisan consensus among America's leaders that nuclear terrorism is one of the most dangerous threats facing the United States and the world today. Unfortunately, the new leadership of the House of Representatives has lumped federal programs designed to prevent this danger in with the rest of its targets for budget cuts, proposing to slash their funding by over 20 percent. This is a big mistake, and the Senate and the White House should work aggressively to ensure that these cuts are not turned into law. Complete Issue Brief here.