Homeland Security is set to fund a bill that will make ‘Americans more vulnerable to nuclear threats’ as worries over a potential World War 3 intensify.
The bill will make appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, with Democrats raising the alarm of what this could mean for the country.
In a press release, the Democratic Appropriations Committee warned that this bill could increase energy costs, jeopardize energy independence, weaken national security and abandon ‘commitments to communities to clean up radioactive waste’.
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member, Marcy Kaptur, said: “Sadly, this Republican Energy and Water bill does not meet our nation’s imperative for the future. America must become energy independent in perpetuity. This bill fails to address the cost-of-living crisis and instead will result in higher energy bills for families and businesses.
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“China is investing record levels in energy, but this bill retreats from US global leadership in the future clean energy economy. America can and must do better. America’s future relies on the new age frontiers of energy and water.”
Major concern around national security comes as the bill will close the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office which plays a big role in identifying and countering nuclear, radiological, and biological threats, coordinating across federal, state, and local levels, and funding and supporting early-warning and mitigation systems.
By closing this office, cutting funding to cybersecurity efforts and removing critical local-level grants, the bill will reduce the ability for early detection and effective responses to potential nuclear threats.
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Appropriations Committee Ranking, Rosa DeLauro, added: “Energy demand is higher than ever and only increasing. Cheap, reliable energy is the basis of a modern economy. We have to increase energy supply or costs will continue to rise for the American people – and we will be dependent on importing energy to meet our goals. Instead of focusing on ways to help lower energy costs, House Republicans are using this bill to further gut critical federal resources and advance their own agenda...I cannot support this bill. “Instead of working with Democrats to lower prices and invest in technology that promotes our energy independence, House Republicans are pushing a bill that raises energy costs for families and businesses and eliminates good-paying jobs. We can and must come together to improve this bill to help lower costs and support our country’s energy independence and national security.”