The Bill: H R 5682 (United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act)
Date Passed: July 26, 9:17 p.m.
About: This act reverses US policy, and allows India to buy American nuclear reactors and fuel, despite the fact that India has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and has tested nuclear weapons in 1998 and 1974.
There were three major amendments introduced by critics of the bill: to force India to halt fissile material production as a condition; to forbid India from diverting all domestically produced uranium to weapons production because of the new influx of nuclear fuel from the US; and to defer a vote until the US did more to control Iran’s burgeoning nuclear program. These all failed.
With the bill expected to pass the Senate later this fall, India will now be able to expand its nuclear weapons production to around 50 bombs a year. Currently, India is able to produce seven bombs a year.
With all the uproar over the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, which are admittedly problems, the House of Representatives and the Bush administration chose to “pour nuclear fuel on the fire of an India-Pakistan nuclear arms race,” in the words of Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.).
Why they chose to do this is hard to grasp at first, but if you look at the uneven and hypocritical stance the US takes on nuclear weapons, it becomes clear.
According to a 2002 Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) study, the US has 10,640 nuclear warheads. The countries making up the former Soviet Union have 8,600. Britain, France, China, Israel, Pakistan and India all have less than 1,000 each, according to best estimates. The study did not include North Korea or Iran.
A country with over 10,000 nuclear warheads only gets mad when its enemies make nuclear progress. Any talk of non-proliferation is just lip service, as this bill's easy passage proves.
The bill passed 359-68. In NJ, two Democrats (Andrews and Pallone) voted for it, while one Republican (Smith) voted against it.
They Voted For It:
Robert Andrews (D-1)
Frank LoBiondo (R-2)
Jim Saxton (R-3)
E. Scott Garrett (R-5)
Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-6)
Michael Ferguson (R-7)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R - 11)
They Voted Against It:
Christopher Smith (R-4)
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-8)
Steven Rothman (D-9)
Donald Payne (D-10)
Rush Holt (D-12)
How They Voted is a regular City Belt feature breaking down how New Jersey’s congressmen voted on the bills we think are important.
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