Senate Unanimously Approves Clinton Amendment to Help Prevent Nuclear Terrorism

[The Straight Story]

Senate Unanimously Approves Clinton Amendment to Help Prevent Nuclear Terrorism

Amendment included as Part of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced unanimous Senate approval of an amendment to the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act she introduced to help prevent nuclear terrorism. The amendment requires the president to seek broad international agreement on minimum standards for the security of nuclear weapons and materials, and requires an annual report on a prioritized diplomatic and technical plan to eliminate or secure all weapons-usable nuclear material anywhere in the world, including a prioritized list of vulnerable nuclear sites where security upgrades are needed most urgently.

“The Senate’s unanimous approval of this amendment is an important step in helping to prevent nuclear terrorism,” said Senator Clinton. “We live in a world where nuclear terrorism is one of our most significant threats and this provision will help ensure that the nature and urgency of our response is commensurate with that threat.”

Senator Clinton’s amendment would require the president and relevant federal departments and agencies to work with the international community to create specific minimum standards for the security of nuclear weapons and weapons-usable fissile material, to convince other countries to adopt these standards, and to assist other countries in meeting and maintaining them. The amendment would also require an annual report to Congress that would include a prioritized diplomatic and technical plan – including measurable milestones, metrics, estimated timetables, and estimated costs of implementation – to eliminate or secure all weapons-usable nuclear material anywhere in the world, and progress in implementing that plan. The report would also include a prioritized list of vulnerable sites around the world with nuclear weapons or weapons-usable nuclear material where security upgrades are needed most urgently.

Senator Clinton first introduced the amendment earlier this year as part of the Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Act. The final FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act awaits full Senate passage.

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=283515&&