Sens. Markey, Sanders Introduce Legislation to Save Billions on Nuclear Weapons

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington (September 29, 2025) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today reintroduced the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act, which would reduce wasteful nuclear weapons programs and generate tens of billions of dollars in cost savings. The SANE Act would restore budget sanity and advance national security by cutting redundant and destabilizing nuclear programs. Upgrading and maintaining nuclear warheads and their associated infrastructure is anticipated to cost approximately $1 trillion over the next decade, forcing tradeoffs in other areas of the U.S. discretionary budget.

"It is time to halt the proliferation of wasteful nuclear weapons programs and create a future that is safe from the dangers of nuclear conflict. Burning through trillions of dollars to pay for President Trump's pet projects is reckless," said Senator Markey. "Under Trump, the United States is inviting a new nuclear arms race that will endanger the lives of Americans as well as all those around the world. Our legislation would make cuts to the United States's nuclear arsenal and ensure that we save the country billions over the next decade. We must put the people before the Pentagon."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that current plans for the nuclear arsenal would cost approximately $1 trillion through 2034; the proposed cuts would reduce those costs by tens of billions over that time frame.

The SANE Act will prohibit space-based missile defense, reduce the purchase of Columbia-class submarines from 12 to eight, cut the existing ICBM fleet from over 400 to 150, and reduce deployed strategic warheads from approximately 1,500 to 1,000.

Additionally, the SANE Act would:

• Cancel the development of a new air-launched cruise missile and an associated warhead life extension program.
• Cancel the development of new Sentinel ICBMs and a new nuclear warhead.
• Cancel the development of a new submarine-launched cruise missile.
• Limit the plutonium pit production target to 30 per year.
• Retire the B83-1 megaton bomb as previously planned.
• Prohibit development of the new W-93 warhead.

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