Cortez Masto, Nevada Democrats Send Letter to Trump Administration Expressing Outrage Over Resumption of Nuclear Testing

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), and Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03) sent a letter to the Trump Administration expressing their outrage over the President's directive to resume nuclear testing. The letter, which was sent to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Brandon Williams, also asked for clarity on what exactly resuming nuclear testing would entail, and whether President Trump could commit to not resuming explosive nuclear testing, which would pose a significant risk to the American people.

"We write to express our outrage and unequivocal opposition to President Trump's reckless directive to resume explosive nuclear weapons testing and to demand clarification. While Secretary Wright has tried to clarify President Trump's Truth Social post, the president's directive announced last week on Truth Social is unnecessary, dangerous, and scientifically unjustified. It threatens to reawaken one of the darkest chapters in Nevada's history, endangers American lives, and undermines decades of bipartisan work to keep our nation and the world safe from the devastation of nuclear war," wrote the members.

"[T]o even contemplate detonating nuclear weapons on American soil is a betrayal of science, safety, and the American people. This rash move also risks igniting a new global nuclear arms race, signaling to adversaries that the U.S. is abandoning its leadership and commitment to restraint and nonproliferation," the members continued. "No country except for North Korea has conducted an explosive nuclear test in this century. This sudden reversal weakens our diplomatic credibility, endangers our allies, and undermines international security."

Read the full letter here.

Senator Cortez Masto has championed strengthening American national security, especially at sites like the NNSS. She has consistently voted to deliver critical funding to the NNSS. She also has a strong history of opposing nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain and has introduced legislation to ensure the Secretary of Energy obtains written consent from state, local, and tribal leaders before allowing construction of a nuclear waste repository. Cortez Masto also pressed DOE Secretary Wright in his confirmation hearing on whether he would stand up to any Trump administration attempts to cut funding to the NNSS.

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