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The Senate, in its attempt to slim down the stimulus bill, has apparently managed to squeeze in a little bit for nukes. A billion dollars, in fact.

In various Senate version of the Bill, including on page 78 of what I believe is the most recent version, the Collins/Nelson* Bill, the following appears:

ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE ACTIVITIES National Nuclear Security Administration WEAPONS ACTIVITIES For an additional amount for weapons activities, $1,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2010.

Some stories speak for themselves, I think, so don’t require editorializing.

I’ll just point you in the direction of some of the organizations and blogs that have been covering the story (WAND, Talking Points Memo and ANA) and thank the person that sent me the tip-off.

Oh, and Everett Dirksen’s most famous bon mot really does seem appropriate here: “A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”

*I don’t think this URL will be stable. The same language appears on page 76 of S 336, for instance.