The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: HAPPY2BME on August 12, 2017, 07:39:11 AM
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August 11, 2017
In 2012, then-Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) famously forgot the Department of Energy during a debate performance in which he was listing the four federal departments he would eliminate as president. Today, he is now in charge of the Department of Energy and America’s nuclear weapons stock pile.
The Department of Energy spends roughly two-thirds of the department’s $30 billion budget on maintaining the United States’ nuclear stockpile.
In December, Politico reported on how crucial the Department of Energy is in maintaining the country’s nuclear stockpile.
Politico reported:
“The agency’s chief responsibility isn’t energy policy: It’s maintaining and overseeing the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile and cleaning up nuclear waste, a role critical to America’s national security.”
“The Department of Energy has responsibility for designing and manufacturing key components of the U.S.’s nuclear weapons and making sure they are secure from outside threats. It also maintains the weapons so they are ready for use, although the department does not have the authority to launch them.”
NTK readers unaware of how crucial the Department of Energy is to America’s nuclear arsenal are not alone. Perry himself, according to reports, did not know that his chief responsibility would be “maintaining nearly 1,400 nuclear inventories, including several thousand active nuclear warheads.”
http://ntknetwork.com/whos-in-charge-of-u-s-nukes-energy-secretary-rick-perry/
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Manchin Rumored to Be Trump Pick for Energy Department to Free Up Senate Seat
August 11, 2017 10:49 pm
Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) has been rumored to be President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Energy in order to free up his Senate seat.
Trump wants Manchin's seat open so it can be filled by Gov. Jim Justice, who recently changed party affiliations and became a Republican, so that a Republican can fill Manchin's seat in order to vote for a repeal of Obamacare, Bloomberg reports:
If Manchin were offered and accepted the position, that would allow West Virginia’s Governor Jim Justice — a newly minted Republican — to appoint a GOP successor and bring the party a vote closer in the Senate to being able to repeal Obamacare. The idea is in the early stages of consideration, and it’s unclear whether it has support within the administration, according to the people, who described the conversations under condition of anonymity.
A spokesman for Manchin declined to say whether the senator would take the Energy secretary job — currently held by former Texas Governor Rick Perry — if offered.
"Senator Manchin has not had any recent conversations with the Administration about the Secretary of Energy position. He remains committed to serving the people of West Virginia," said Jonathan Kott.
If this occurred, Perry could potentially take another role elsewhere in the Trump administration.
Manchin was reportedly Trump's first pick for the position, but Manchin wouldn't accept because he was not promised he would be allowed to pick his own staff, according to sources. Manchin would be an acceptable pick to Republicans due to his favorable stance toward coal.
http://freebeacon.com/politics/manchin-rumored-trump-pick-energy-department-free-senate-seat/
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Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance
Updated: July 2017
(https://www.armscontrol.org/sites/default/files/WarheadsGraphic_170705_0.png)
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat
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More like 'Responsible for' than 'In charge of.'