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 Senator 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.