{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://franken.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=3589", "Sen. Franken Leads Senate Resolution that Questions U.S. Nuclear Arsenal Modernization Plans", "2016-12-09", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Al Franken", "F000457", "franken.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today,\u00a0U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced a Senate resolution urging the President to ensure that the United States' nuclear arsenal modernization plans don't jeopardize critical national security priorities.The United States currently maintains a force of approximately 7,000 nuclear weapons and there is substantial controversy over whether the current modernization plan goes beyond assuring the nuclear deterrent is secure and reliable. The current plan was launched in a different budget era and current estimates state that the total cost for modernizing and maintaining the nuclear force may cost as much as $1 trillion over the next three decades. Numerous distinguished national security experts believe that this investment will significantly hamper the ability of the United States to respond to conventional and unconventional threats we may face.\"We need to do everything we can to make sure that our nuclear arsenal is safe, secure, and reliable,\"said Sen. Franken.\u00a0\"But if we don't reevaluate and modify current plans to modernize our nuclear weapons, we could end up wasting billions of taxpayer dollars and compromise our national security. My resolution urges the President to take action to ensure that the modernization\u00a0plan is focused on the safety, affordability, and reliability of the arsenal, \u00a0and doesn't jeopardize other economic and national security priorities.\"Sen. Franken's resolution-which is cosponsored by Sens. Sanders, Whitehouse, Warren, Markey, Merkley, Baldwin, Schatz, Wyden, Boxer, Leahy, Brown, and Murphy-calls\u00a0on the President to ensure the affordability and feasibility of the nuclear modernization plan. Further, his resolution calls for the President to prioritize programs that will retain the United States' nuclear deterrence needs while not jeopardizing other economic and security investments vital to maintaining a robust ability to respond to 21st\u00a0century threats.You can read the resolution here.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://franken.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=3589"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7536821067333221, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}