A Democratic congressman from Illinois said Thursday he is serving notice to his colleagues against cutting the U.S. contribution to the United Nations agency that is taking an increasing leadership role in global efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The United States annually provides nearly $200 million in support of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s broad mandate to promote peaceful use of nuclear technology and ensure its member states are not using nuclear programs to develop weapons. That has included over $130 million for the agency’s Nuclear Security Fund since 2002.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog is on the front line of verifying Iran’s adherence to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in which it agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from six world powers: China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Republicans have been sharply critical of the deal, calling it a stopgap measure at best in what they see as Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons, with the Trump administration pledging this week to review the JCPOA even while acknowledging that Iran has adhered to its commitments.
Rep. Bill Foster said he fears that GOP antipathy to the nuclear agreement could extend to the IAEA.
“There’s a lot of worry that the Republican strategy toward the Iran nuclear deal specifically would be a lot like their strategy toward healthcare, where they would deliberately underfund things to sabotage the operation and then complain about the result,” he told NS&D Monitor on Thursday.
The lawmaker on April 6 joined two other members of Congress, Reps. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), in introducing House Resolution 260 urging the United States and likeminded nations to ensure the IAEA has sufficient means to support its nuclear security mission. Foster called the symbolic measure a “shot across the bow” on Capitol Hill against any effort during the upcoming fiscal 2018 appropriations process to slash funding for the IAEA.
The United States is the agency’s top financial contributor, delivering roughly 25 percent of its annual budget. Foster said the congressmen focused the resolution on the IAEA’s nuclear security work because “we felt it was more under threat, a more likely target.”
Reports earlier this year indicated the Trump administration was considering significant reductions in U.S. funding to U.N. agencies and other international organizations. Republicans in the Senate have also recently taken aim at Washington’s annual contribution for another international nonproliferation entity, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.
Foster noted the administration’s proposal to reduce funding for the U.S. State Department, which provides the money for the IAEA, by 30 percent in the budget year starting Oct. 1: “Obviously if that trickled down to the IAEA contribution it could even be amplified, obviously put the whole enterprise at risk.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency, established in 1957, began in 1970 offering “ad hoc training” on physical security of nuclear materials, according to the House resolution. This work only expanded and grew more important in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union, ongoing cases of nuclear smuggling, and the Sept. 11 strikes against the United States, the lawmakers said.
The agency’s Incident and Trafficking Database had as of Dec. 31, 2015, recorded 2,889 cases of trafficking, theft, loss, and other illicit activities and events involving nuclear and radioactive materials. Of those, 454 were designated as unauthorized possession and associated criminal operations.
Today, the IAEA’s nuclear security mandate covers a broad range of programs, including providing nuclear materials detectors to member states (780 in 2015 alone); helping to remove weapon-usable nuclear materials from nations and to convert nuclear facilities to use more proliferation-resistant materials; scheduling scores of security training workshops and courses each year; and otherwise assisting governments in strengthening their own protective measures.
The IAEA is currently developing its latest Nuclear Security Plan, for 2018 to 2021, which is expected to be ready ahead of the September meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors.
In line with the action plan from the fourth and final U.S.-led Nuclear Security Summit in 2016, which noted the requirement for “reliable and sufficient resources” for the IAEA, the three congressmen are urging their colleagues through the resolution to:
- Acknowledge the IAEA’s “indispensable role” in promoting worldwide nuclear security and safety;
- Reaffirm the United States’ “vital interest” in deterring nuclear proliferation and securing nuclear substances; and
- Encourage IAEA member nations, including the United States, to provide sufficient resources so the IAEA can carry out its missions, including: support for ongoing ministerial meetings on nuclear security; providing “reliable and sufficient resources” to the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan; delivering “appropriate political, technical, and financial support” for the agency’s Nuclear Security Fund; and establishing a full plan for promoting private-sector contributions to the fund.
“When you look at the good that the IAEA does for U.S. national security in comparison to the budget is just off-scale, one of the most cost-effective investments we make,” Foster said.
The IAEA Nuclear Security Fund has received 290 million euros ($311 million) in contributions since being established in 2002, the agency’s Office of Public Information and Communication said by email Thursday. Nineteen nations made contributions in 2015, including China, Finland, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States, according to the agency’s latest annual report. However, other nations could follow suit if the U.S. cuts its contribution, Foster said.
