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Senate Democrats urge Trump to give a personal explanation on nuclear tests following Wright’s comments

Senate Dems press Trump to 'personally provide clarification' on nuclear tests after Wright remarks

A group of Senate Democrats reached out to President Trump, asking for clarification on the recently announced plans to restart nuclear tests. This follows a statement from Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who indicated that the tests wouldn’t involve actual nuclear explosions.

In a letter led by Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico, 16 Democratic senators expressed their concerns. They noted that Secretary Wright’s comments were meant to clarify Trump’s directive, which they wanted further clarified. The senators highlighted potential environmental and health issues, arguing that resuming nuclear weapons testing is geopolitically risky, financially unwise, and unnecessary for U.S. defense.

Wright mentioned that the Trump administration intends to modernize the nuclear stockpile through testing new systems with non-nuclear detonations. The U.S. has not tested nuclear weapons since 1992, but after Russia successfully tested a nuclear-capable cruise missile, Trump indicated a willingness to resume such tests.

Trump also accused North Korea of conducting nuclear tests and hinted that the U.S. would soon decide on its own testing plans. In response, the Democratic senators voiced their fears that restarting nuclear tests could set a concerning precedent, warning against allowing the quest for security to jeopardize global stability.

The senators pointed out that experts at the Nuclear Weapons Research Institute, along with military leadership, have maintained that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is effective and doesn’t require explosive testing. They referenced extensive subcritical tests and reliable computer modeling that support this view.

They emphasized that there’s no need to disrupt a working system, stating that resuming nuclear tests would undermine international non-proliferation efforts and could intensify the nuclear arms race among global powers.

Along with Heinrich, the letter was co-signed by senators including Ron Wyden (Oregon), Ed Markey (Massachusetts), Jeff Merkley (Oregon), Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), Michael Bennet (Colorado), Adam Schiff (California), Alex Padilla (California), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), Mark Kelly (Arizona), Maisie Hirono (Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Ben Ray Lujan (New Mexico), and Jacky Rosen (Nevada).

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