Trump's Budget Pours Too Much Money Into US Nuclear Arsenal - Congressman

US President Donald Trump's defense budget request pours too much into maintaining and modernizing the nuclear arsenal of the United States, US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The comment comes following the US test of an ICBM interceptor system.

"President Trump’s budget fails to provide us with a realistic plan for modernizing the US nuclear weapons arsenal," Smith stated. Instead, he would continue to pour taxpayer dollars into an unnecessary and impractical $1.2 trillion effort to improve and sustain more than 4,000 nuclear weapons."

Smith claimed US taxpayer dollars would be better spent on other kinds of defense programs, rather than fueling a nuclear arms race.

"With over 4,000 nuclear weapons, enough to destroy the world several times over, it is time to prioritize what we need to keep the country secure," the congressman said.

Smith argued the United States should free up funding for more essential defense programs instead of spending approximately $30 billion annually on existing and next-generation nuclear weapons.

On May 23, the White House unveiled Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal. The plan makes cuts throughout government agencies, but boosts defense spending.