Nuke Labs Invite

House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) has again invited Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) to tour the facilities at Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico.

Last month, Markey introduced legislation that would cut $100 billion in spending on "outdated, wasteful nuclear weapons and related programs over the next ten years," he said in a statement, adding: "Let's cut new nuclear weapons and not programs for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children of our country."

In a March 16 statement, Turner said: "Without ever seeing the true state of these facilities, Mr. Markey is living in blissful ignorance. It must make calling for funding cuts and unilateral disarmament a lot easier. No one who has toured these facilities and has seen their deplorable conditions would deny the need for this funding."

In a letter sent to Markey the same day, Turner writes:

It is clear from your response that you have been given grossly inaccurate, or wholly out-of-context, information on the plutonium and uranium facilities -- and their prospective replacements -- at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. We very much need to get you to Los Alamos and Y-12 as soon as possible to clear up this terribly mistaken information.

This is not the first time Turner has written Markey on the state of U.S. nuclear labs. Click on the below to view those related letters:

Rep. Turner's 11/30/2011 Letter To Rep. Markey On Nuclear Deterrent Costs

Turner 11/4/2011 Letter On The Cost Of The U.S. Nuclear Deterrent