President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. would resume nuclear weapons testing, a practice the nation stopped in 1992, according to Scripps News.
After conducting 928 nuclear tests since the 1950s, the U.S. voluntarily ended its nuclear testing program on Sept. 23, 1992, at the Nevada National Security Sites. The site is formerly known as the Nevada Test Site, located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
This location could likely be the place to resume nuclear testing in the U.S.; however, Trump did not explicitly state where nuclear testing could begin.
This announcement comes on the heels of recent news of Russia testing an atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump states, "Because of other countries' nuclear testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis."
The announcement sparked reactions from Nevada politicians on Wednesday.
"This directly contradicts the commitments I secured from Trump nominees — and the opinion of Administration officials who certify our nuclear stockpile — who’ve told me explosive nuclear testing would not happen & is unnecessary. I’ll fight to stop this," said Sen. Jacky Rosen in an X post.
"Absolutely not. I’ll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this," said Congresswoman Dina Titus in an X post.
"President Trump restarting explosive nuclear testing in Nevada is dangerous, misguided, and unnecessary," said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in an X post.
“Just this year, President Trump’s own NNSA Administrator explicitly stated that we do not need to conduct explosive nuclear testing," said Congresswoman Susie Lee in a statement sent to Channel 13. "Rather than trusting the science and listening to the experts, including those at the Nevada National Security Sites, Donald Trump wants to perform dangerous, unnecessary tests to impress his buddies, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Nevada knows all too well the lasting consequences of nuclear testing. I won’t allow innocent Nevadans to pay the price for this president’s nuclear saber-rattling.”
"Nuclear weapons threaten every person on this planet — and President Trump’s reckless decision to resume testing endangers us all,” Rep. Steven Horsford said. “For more than three decades, presidents of both parties have recognized that real strength in the nuclear age comes from restraint and global leadership, not provocation. This move abandons that legacy and undermines America’s strategic credibility on the world stage. By reigniting the most dangerous arms race in human history, this president is making the world less stable, less safe, and less secure. And for Nevada, it threatens to reopen one of the darkest chapters in our state’s history during a time when radioactive fallout poisoned our air, our land, and our people. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.”