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At the end of 2008, Congress approved a U.S.-India nuclear deal and failed to advance Indian health care funding. Yet even in this election year, we at FCNL can mark several significant successes.
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US Abandons Plans to Expand Nuclear Bomb Production
The Energy Department in December 2008 abandoned plans for a new plant that would dramatically expand the U.S. ability to build nuclear weapons. The core element of any nuclear bomb is a grapefruit-sized plutonium pit, or trigger, at the center of the weapons. At the end of the Cold War, the U.S. closed down the only plant that produced these pits. Several years ago, the administration asked Congress for funding to build a new plant that could produce up to 450 plutonium pits a year. FCNL led the lobbying effort to stop funding for this proposal and Congress started asking questions about why the U.S. needed a new facility. After trying to secure funding for 200 pits a year and then 80 pits a year, the administration has now said they will not resume large scale production of nuclear bomb triggers.
President-elect Obama Promises to Review Cluster Bomb Treaty
President-elect Barack Obama has agreed to "carefully review" the Bush administration's decision not to sign the international treaty that would ban the production, trade, and use of cluster bombs. The Pentagon, the Bush administration, and some members of Congress from both parties have opposed the cluster bomb ban. FCNL led a sucessful two year campaign to win bipartisan support for legislation to ban cluster bombs in Congress and lobbied hard to persuade the Obama campaign to reconsider the policy. A spokesperson for the president-elect announced the upcoming review a day before the treaty was signed by nearly 100 countries in Oslo, Norway.
Iran Blockade Legislation Fizzles
In June, House leaders reportedly pledged to "fast track" legislation that urged the president to initiate an international blockade on Iran, prevent Iranian diplomats from traveling, and possibly provoke a war. FCNL spent the next 4 months intensely lobbying against the bill, H. Con. Res. 362, and helped convince 5 representatives to remove their names from the legislation, a rare step. Despite gaining cosponsorship from more than half the House, the bill is now unlikely to pass the House this year. Find out more.
No Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
For the third year in a row, Congress approved the FCNL-initiated proposal to ban the U.S. government from establishing permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. The measure was included in the 2009 military authorization bill, which President George W. Bush signed into law on October 14. While FCNL opposes authorizing and spending more money for war, Congress included specific provisions that we support in the military authorization bill. Find out more.
Congress Bans Cluster Bomb Exports
A one-year moratorium on cluster bomb exports was set to expire on September 30, 2008. In the waning hours of the 110th Congress, members included an extension of the ban on the export of most types of cluster bombs in a bill that will keep the government running through March 2009. While this extension is short term, it provides another clear victory for FCNL's campaign to ban cluster bombs. Congress still needs to approve legislation that would ban U.S. forces from using these weapons in civilian-populated areas. Find out more.
Congress Says No to New Nuclear Weapons
FCNL lobbying has once again helped block funding for the Bush administration's proposed Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program. The final nail in the weapon's coffin came in September, when a House-Senate conference committee for the 2009 military authorization bill refused to allow any money to be spent on RRW. Earlier this year, FCNL's Quaker Nuclear Disarmament Program helped prevent funding for RRW from being included in the 2009 military spending bill. This is the second year FCNL has helped block this program. Find out more.
Congress Invests in Peace
The 2009 military authorization bill recently signed by the president includes legislation to create a civilian response corps, which will strengthen the ability of the United States to help prevent and resolve conflicts around the world. The corps could be sent to crisis-torn areas to help countries restore basic services to their citizens and support political and economic reconstruction. FCNL has been lobbying for the corps as part of the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (H.R. 1084), which had passed the House but not the Senate. Earlier in the year, Congress provided $55 million for the creation of the corps but had not yet passed formal authorization language until late September. While FCNL opposes authorizing and spending more money for war, Congress included some provisions that we support in the military authorization bill. Find out more.
Congress Renews Energy Tax Credits
Tax credits that encourage production of electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy, were set to expire on December 31, 2008. As part of the financial bailout bill, Congress extended these tax credits for at least one more year. Find out more.
Child Tax Credit to Reach Millions More
Congress expanded the child tax credit so that families who make as little as $8,500 a year qualify. This change will make the credit available for the first time to 3 million more children and increase support for 10 million more. The expansion was included in the financial bailout bill that Congress passed in early October. Find out more.
Congress Boosts Money for Poor, Students
As part of a bill to fund the government though March 2009, Congress increased funding for a program providing home heating assistance to the poor, student aid, and supplemental nutrition for poor women, infants, and children. Find out more.
See more 2008 successes.
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See successes from 2007.
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