2020 Scorecard Vote
Representative Ben McAdams (D-UT) offered an amendment to H.R. 6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, which would prohibit the use of NDAA fiscal year 2021 funds for explosive nuclear testing and put in place restrictions on any resumption of nuclear test explosions in the future. Earlier this year, senior national security officials in the Trump administration actively discussed the resumption of nuclear weapons testing in Nevada, a move that would cause turmoil with international partners with whom the U.S. has multilateral arms agreements and pose significant risks to human health and the environment. This amendment would honor international arms agreements and safeguard communities and the environment from the devastating effects of nuclear weapons testing. On July 20, the House approved the McAdams amendment by a vote of 227-179 (House roll call vote 142). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. On January 1, 2021, H.R. 6395 became law after the Senate approved it again, over President Trump’s veto. Neither the House-approved funding prohibition nor the Senate’s $10 million for conducting explosive nuclear tests were included in the final bill.
pro-environment position