Dear Mr. ______________,
Thank you for contacting me about nuclear disarmament and federal spending on nuclear weapons. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
Throughout my service in Congress, I have supported both the missions and employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The scientists at the labs conduct some of the most critical research for our country and they are an integral part of our national security.
The diversification of the labs--from the primary nuclear weapons work to multiple areas of research, including homeland security, defense, intelligence, and energy--is an ongoing process which I strongly support. The core mission of keeping the nation's nuclear arsenal safe and secure continues to be a necessity. In addition, nuclear weapons expertise is crucial to the accelerated mission of nonproliferation. But, it is important that the labs also continue to focus on developing expanded missions. Each lab is uniquely positioned with capabilities that ensure they can provide vital national security and other research at this critical time in diverse areas, including cybersecurity and computing, energy technology, and biotechnology and health care.
I believe that the United States needs to work diligently with the international community to ensure that countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) abide by it. Nuclear weapons pose a major threat to global security, and nuclear proliferation must be curbed. We also strive to ensure that other countries that wish to seek influence in regions across the globe by acquiring nuclear weapons are deterred. This is part of a broad effort to reduce the threat that nuclear weapons pose worldwide.
New Mexico's national labs have the expertise to play a central role in these efforts, and I will continue to work to ensure that they are at the forefront of our efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as Congress considers these issues.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. Please feel free to contact me with your concerns regarding any federal issue by visiting my website at www.tomudall.senate.gov. For more information, you may also visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/senatortomudall and receive up to the minute updates through my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/senatortomudall.
Very truly yours,
Signature
Tom Udall
United States Senator
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