Senators Urge Obama to Cut Nuclear Cruise Missile

On December 15, a group of eight Senators led by  Edward Markey sent a letter to President Obama calling for a cancellation of the new nuclear cruise missile program, the Long-Range Stand Off weapon. Senators signing the letter include Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

The program is estimated to have a price tag of $20-30 billion for 1,000 to 1,100 new cruise missiles. “Outdated and unnecessary nuclear weapons are relics of the past,” write the Senators in the letter to President Obama. “Your administration should instead focus on capabilities that keep our economy and defense strong while reducing the role of nuclear weapons.”

This weapon was called “uniquely destabilizing” in a recent op-ed by former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry in the Washington Post. That’s because when you are on the receiving end of such an attack you have no way of knowing whether the weapon heading your way is a nuclear or conventionally tipped cruise missile.

You can take action by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking your Senator to defund this program. If your Senator has signed onto the letter, you can still call to thank them for their leadership to cancel this dangerous program.