VIDEO: Rosen Pushes Energy Secretary to Admit Explosive Nuclear Testing is Not Needed

Watch the full exchange HERE

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) pushed Energy Secretary Chris Wright into admitting that a resumption of explosive nuclear testing - which would occur at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) - is not necessary. The Trump Administration has expressed interest in resuming explosive nuclear testing, which would break the testing moratorium signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, and restart nuclear testing at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Since then, the U.S. has continued to certify the military effectiveness of our nation's nuclear stockpile, through state-of-the-art, science-based subcritical experiments conducted at the Site that ensure we never have to detonate another nuclear weapon on U.S. soil again. These experiments provide greater certainty and data about the performance of the stockpile, experts say, than the information that could be obtained if the U.S. were to conduct an explosive nuclear test.

Senator Rosen is fighting to ensure that explosive nuclear testing never returns to Nevada. She recently visited the NNSS, where she saw first-hand the work being done to certify the stockpile without explosive testing. She helped introduce legislation to ensure that no president can unilaterally resume explosive nuclear testing. In prior Senate Armed Services Committee hearings, Senator Rosen has received commitments from every nominee to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration and the commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) that there is not a need to resume explosive nuclear testing and that they would not recommend a resumption. Senator Rosen also helped pass a bipartisan bill to support Nevadans harmed by radiation from Cold War nuclear testing.

Below are excerpts from the exchange:

Senator Rosen: "Secretary Wright, citing your impressive educational resume in engineering from MIT and Berkley, and with so many experts in agreement that there is NO technical or strategic need to resume explosive nuclear testing, can you commit today that this Administration will not conduct an explosive nuclear test, YES or NO?"

Secretary Wright: "Well Senator Rosen, ultimately that decision comes down to the Commander-in-Chief."

Senator Rosen: "If you are asked, what would your advice be? Let me phrase it another way. You advise the president. Of course, any president has that right, but what would your advice be as an engineer, as a scientist, as a secretary?"

Secretary Wright: "This year again, leaders of the weapons laboratories and the STRATCOM commander certified our weapons stockpile as reliable from the nonexplosive testing we do. I think our arsenal is ready to go, but there may be other reasons for which the commander-in-chief may want to engage in a nuclear test."

Senator Rosen: "So you will disagree then with your extensive educational achievements, studies, and as a scientist, disagree with scientists and administrations going back to the 1990's and the data that shows renewed explosive testing is unnecessary? You think there is still a need for that? You will disagree with all the experts? Yes or no. Do you agree there is a need for explosive testing or not?"

Secretary Wright: "To assure the reliability of our weapons, there is not a need for explosive testing."

Senator Rosen: "Thank You."

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