US Congress divided over Trump's initiative to resume nuclear tests – The Hill
Kyiv • UNN
Donald Trump's initiative to resume nuclear weapons testing as a signal to Moscow and China has caused a split in the US Congress. Republicans support the move, while Democrats consider it a dangerous provocation.
US President Donald Trump's decision to resume nuclear weapons testing as a signal to Moscow and China has divided Congress. Republicans support the move, calling it an important deterrent, while Democrats see it as a dangerous provocation and doubt its effectiveness. This is stated in an article by The Hill, writes UNN.
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It would be a mistake for us to do this, because we have nothing, we have very little to gain. If we conduct a test, and then China decides: okay, I'll start testing. They will start testing their nuclear weapons, then their strategic forces will significantly improve. We will get nothing. This will be a gift to China
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Senator Elizabeth Warren (Democrat from Massachusetts) added: "The Department of Defense has a long history of underestimating costs and claiming shorter timelines for these gigantic nuclear programs... Republicans should be just as outraged as Democrats by the Department of Defense's lack of honesty about how this program works."
Republicans, however, support Trump. Senator James Risch (Republican from Idaho) said: "This is not an escalation. Putin is crazy and is trying to push Trump's boundaries, but the Russian president will not respond."
House Speaker Mike Johnson added that Trump's directive sends a "clear signal" to US adversaries, and Senator Lindsey Graham called it a "response" to Putin to push him to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump stressed that the US will begin testing "due to other countries' testing programs" and will do so "on an equal footing." However, for opponents and arms control experts, it remains unclear whether he will resume nuclear explosions and what consequences this will have for global security.
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