Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement on President Trump’s comments regarding U.S. nuclear weapons policy:

“U.S. policy on nuclear weapons is not something that should be altered with a dangerously vague tweet. The fact is we do not need another nuclear arms race. We have too many nuclear weapons as it is—nearly 5,000—more than enough to meet our national security needs and deter any major adversary. Given the array of serious threats we face, including terrorism, which nuclear weapons do nothing to prevent, we should be downsizing the nuclear arsenal in order to pay for our more pressing defense needs. To have effective nuclear deterrence, we need careful policy decisions, force planning, and communication with allies and potential adversaries.”