OPSR Statement on President Trump’s Decision to Resume Nuclear Testing
(Portland, OR) – Yesterday, President Trump announced that he has ordered the Department of Defense (DOD) to resume nuclear weapons testing. While we take these comments seriously, we must also acknowledge the ignorance and lack of understanding this president has regarding
nuclear weapons.
Nothing in his statement was factually correct. DOD does not conduct nuclear tests. It is the function of the Department of Energy. Perhaps he was referring to missile tests and delivery systems, which would be quite different from underground nuclear testing. The president declared that there was a "complete update and renovation of existing weapons" during his first term, despite the fact that we are planning to spend nearly 1 trillion dollars to “operate, sustain, and modernize” our nuclear forces over the next decade. He mentioned that the US has the most nuclear weapons. This is not true. Russia is the world' s leader in nuclear weapons. He said, “China will be even in 5 years,” with the US in its amount of nuclear weapons. This is also not likely to happen.
The main focus for us, at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, is the humanitarian consequences and environmental impacts of nuclear weapons testing, something the US has not done since 1992. Hundreds of thousands died as a result of nuclear testing and the radiation exposure that followed. It is often marginalized and indigenous communities who suffer the most. Globally, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Africans, Kazakhs, the Marshallese, and others have been the biggest victims of nuclear testing. Additionally, at a time when the government is preparing to halt SNAP payments, experts estimate this new policy would cost 140 million dollars per test.
The decision to resume nuclear testing further illustrates this administration's utter contempt for human life and sets us on a path that brings us closer to nuclear war, not peace.
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