,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #egd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #h1 #bjag    
,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,mr4         
,merkley1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,wyden1
 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mr4 ,franken1 ,mr4       
,sanders1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 and ,mr4   
,brown7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,armed ,services  ,a     
,,bill  ,to restrict the use of funds   
for the long-range standoff weapon until
 the ,secretary of ,defense completes a 
,nuclear ,posture ,review that includes 
an assessment of the capabilities and   
effects of the use of the long-range    
standoff weapon1 and for other purposes4
  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act may be   
cited as the ,nuclear ,cruise ,missile  
,reconsideration ,act of #bjag4  #b4    
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states is  
currently developing a new nuclear-armed
 air-launched cruise missile1 the       
long-range standoff weapon4  7#b7 ,when 

asked by the ,committee on ,armed       
,services of the ,senate before his     
confirmation hearing about his support  
for the long-range standoff weapon1     
,secretary of ,defense ,james ,n4       
,mattis stated1 ,i will carefully       
examine the utility and advisability of 
this program within existing nuclear    
doctrine44  7#c7 ,when asked during his 
confirmation hearing whether he would   
commit to support continued development 
of the long-range standoff weapon1      
,secretary ,mattis emphasized the need  
to examine its deterrent capability4    
7#d7 ,the ,united ,states already plans 
to construct a new fleet of             
nuclear-capable penetrating long-range  
strike bombers1 known as the ,b-#ba1    
that will carry the refurbished ,b#fa   
nuclear gravity bomb4  7#e7 ,the range  
and lethality of existing ,united       
,states strategic bombers is being      
improved by the addition of the ,joint  
,air to ,surface ,standoff ,missile1 a  
long-range conventionally armed         

air-launched cruise missile4 ,the ,b-#ba
 bomber will also be armed with this    
missile4  7#f7 ,according to public     
reports1 the long-range standoff weapon 
will be a far more precise version of   
its predecessor4  7#g7 ,general ,james  
,e4 ,cartwright1 former head of ,united 
,states ,strategic ,command1 warned in  
#bjaf that bringing real precision to   
nuclear weapons could make them more    
usable4  7#h7 ,in a #bjad letter to the 
,committee on ,appropriations of the    
,senate1 ,under ,secretary of ,defense  
,frank ,kendall explained that the      
long-range standoff weapon could have   
utility beyond deterrence4  7#i7 ,in a  
#bjaf statement before the ,subcommittee
 on ,strategic ,forces of the ,committee
 on ,armed ,services of the ,house of   
,representatives1 ,assistant ,secretary 
of ,defense ,robert ,scher asserted that
 the long-range standoff weapon would   
provide the ,united ,states with the    
ability to respond proportionately to a 
limited nuclear attack4  7#aj7 ,in a    

#bjac article in the ,telegraph1 ,philip
 ,hammond1 then-,defense ,secretary of  
the ,united ,kingdom explained1 ,a      
cruise-based deterrent would carry      
significant risk of miscalculation and  
unintended escalation44  7#aa7 ,in a    
#bjae article in the ,washington ,post1 
former ,secretary of ,defense ,william  
,j4 ,perry and former ,assistant        
,secretary of ,defense ,andrew ,weber   
wrote1 ,because they can be launched    
without warning and come in both nuclear
 and conventional variants1 cruise      
missiles are a uniquely destabilizing   
type of weapon44  #c4 ,restriction on   
use of funds for long-range standoff    
weapon  7a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding
 any other provision of law1 in any     
fiscal year1 the ,secretary of ,defense 
may not obligate or expend more than    
#ie1fjj1jjj on development of the       
long-range standoff weapon or any other 
nuclear-capable air-launched cruise     
missile1 and the ,secretary of ,energy  
may not obligate or expend more than    

#bbj1bec1jjj on the life extension      
program for the ,w#hj-d warhead1 until  
the ,secretary of ,defense1 in          
consultation with the heads of other    
relevant ,federal agencies1 submits to  
the appropriate congressional committees
 a ,nuclear ,posture ,review that       
includes a detailed and specific        
assessment of the following3  7#a7 ,the 
anticipated capabilities of the         
long-range standoff weapon to hold      
targets at risk beyond other already    
existing and planned nuclear-capable    
delivery systems4  7#b7 ,the anticipated
 ability of the long-range standoff     
weapon to elude adversary integrated air
 and missile defenses compared to the   
,b-#ba bomber4  7#c7 ,the anticipated   
effect of the long-range standoff weapon
 on strategic stability relative to     
other nuclear-armed countries4  7#d7    
,the anticipated effect of the          
long-range standoff weapon on the       
offensive nuclear weapons capabilities  
and programs of other nuclear-armed     

countries4  7#e7 ,the anticipated effect
 of the long-range standoff weapon on   
the response of other nuclear-armed     
countries to proposals to decrease or   
halt the growth of their nuclear        
stockpiles4  7#f7 ,the anticipated      
effect of the long-range standoff weapon
 on the threshold for the use of nuclear
 weapons4  7b7 ,form ,the ,nuclear      
,posture ,review required by subsection 
7a7 shall be submitted in unclassified  
form but may include a classified annex4
  7c7 ,appropriate congressional        
committees defined ,in this section1 the
 term appropriate congressional         
committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee  
on ,armed ,services and the ,committee  
on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2  
and  7#b7 the ,committee on ,armed      
,services and the ,committee on ,foreign
 ,affairs of the ,house of              
,representatives4