September 9, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today made the following statement with regard to the White House’s threatened veto of the defense authorization bill because of decreased funding for the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain:

"It's unconscionable that this administration is willing to hold back the needs of our brave men and women in the military in order to blindly push the proposed Yucca Mountain dump that endangers the safety of millions in Nevada and across America. When it comes to Yucca Mountain, we’ve lived under the threats of this aimless administration for eight years and we’re not about to stop battling now. I am proud to have cut funding for Yucca Mountain by hundreds of millions of dollars, and I’m equally happy to have provided tens of millions for our military in Nevada in this defense bill. Above all, I will continue to look out for the safety of Nevadans and for our troops throughout the world, which this president is refusing to do in his threat.”