"U.S. House Rejects Plea For New Nuclear Arms"
Defense News - July 12, 2004 - By William Matthews

Support for building a nuclear “bunker buster” and other new nuclear weapons appears to be waning in the U.S. Congress, even among Republican lawmakers who have a record of supporting President George W. Bush on most issues.

By a 370-16 vote on June 25, the House of Representatives approved an Energy Department spending bill that pointedly omits funding for new nuclear weapons the Bush administration has been touting. The House vote cut:

** $27.5 million the administration wanted for a nuclear bunker buster.
** $9 million sought for work on a new generation of low-yield weapons, or “mini nukes.”
** $30 million to begin building a new factory to make the “pits” that are the heart of nuclear weapons.

Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, led the opposition to the nuclear initiatives. A conservative who votes with Bush more often than not, Hobson said the National Nuclear Security Administration that manages U.S. nuclear weapons “needs to take a time-out” on new weapons until it reviews U.S. security needs, budget constraints and a nuclear stockpile plan just completed by the Bush administration.

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