Campaign for Liberty to Congress: End NATO’s free-ride!

Campaign for Liberty joined a coalition statement  in submitted to the House SubCommittee on Energy and Water Appropriations (which has jurisdiction over finding  nuclear weapons programs) calling on Congress to stop making the US Taxpayer pay the entire costs of keeping nuclear weapons in France and other NATO countries. This seems like a common-sense proposal, after all if nuclear weapons are necessary to keep France safe, then why shouldn’t French taxpayers pay for them? Or, to paraphrase Campaign for Liberty Chairman Ron Paul, why should the US Government borrow money from China to defend France?

Campaign for Liberty will continue to work for Real Cuts, Right Now in all areas of government spending.

Text of the statement available here and below:

House Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Outside Witness Testimony April 6, 2015

David Culp, Legislative Representative, Friends Committee on National Legislation Bradley Harris, Program Assistant, Friends Committee on National Legislation

The following seven organizations, Campaign for Liberty, Coalition to Reduce Spending, Friends Committee on National Legislation, National Taxpayers Union, Niskanen Center, Taxpayers for Common Sense and Taxpayers Protection Alliance, endorse this testimony. We would like to bring an urgent issue regarding the National Nuclear Security Administration’s budget to the Subcommittee’s attention. We would also like to recognize the Subcommittee’s long, bipartisan history of providing oversight on the nuclear weapons’ budget.

NNSA’s B61 Nuclear Bomb Life Extension Program

We urge the Subcommittee to either seek a cost-sharing arrangement with our NATO allies or reduce the number of nuclear warheads in the B61 Life Extension Program.

There are approximately 180 B61 nuclear bombs stationed in Europe. These weapons, which ostensibly provide for the security of our allies, are to be refurbished at the sole cost of the American taxpayer.

If the B61 contributes to the security of Europe, then our NATO partners should be willing to pay for a portion of the refurbishment. We believe it is appropriate to ask partners to contribute to a weapon system stationed on their territory.

If our allies refuse to contribute, this is evidence that these weapons do not contribute to the security of Europe, as many former U.S. military officials have suggested. We therefore urge you to refrain from refurbishing the B61 nuclear warheads stationed in Europe.

Thank you for your consideration.

Norm Singleton, Vice President of Policy Campaign for Liberty

Jonathan Bydlak, President Coalition to Reduce Spending

David Culp, Legislative Representative, and Bradley Harris, Program Assistant Friends Committee on National Legislation

Pete Sepp, President National Taxpayers Union

Matt Fay, Foreign and Defense Policy Analyst Niskanen Center

Ryan Alexander, President Taxpayers for Common Sense

David Williams, President Taxpayers Protection Alliance