Washington (July 23, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), along with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), today introduced the Investing in Children Before Missiles (ICBM) Act of 2025, legislation that would redirect funding from the troubled Sentinel nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program to the U.S. Department of Education.
The Trump administration is planning to replace the current fleet of nuclear-armed Minuteman III ICBMs with a new fleet of Sentinel ICBMs. However, the Sentinel program is so over budget and behind schedule that the Department of Defense (DoD) was forced to complete a Nunn–McCurdy review last year that found that the cost of the program had skyrocketed to $141 billion, an 81 percent increase. Moreover, the Air Force recently announced the Sentinel program will likely require digging new missile silos, a move that would cause further significant cost increases and schedule delays. In response to Sentinel’s setbacks, DoD is restructuring the program and considering extending the life of the Minuteman III by 11 years, from 2039 to 2050.
In addition, the Air Force recently announced its plans to pay for upgrades to President Trump’s gift jet from Qatar using excess Sentinel funds. This is yet more evidence that Sentinel funding is “excess to need” and that the program should be paused for one year while it is being restructured. Nevertheless, the Trump administration is seeking to double the budget for the Sentinel missile to $4.1 billion for fiscal year 2026.
“The United States should invest in education, not annihilation,” said Senator Markey. “The ICBM Act makes clear that we will not continue to waste billions on nuclear weapons we do not need—and that actually make us less safe—when there are more important things to fund, like public education. The Sentinel program is 81 percent overbudget—we are literally throwing taxpayer dollars down the deepest money pit ever created. When you are in a hole, stop digging. The ICBM Act signals we intend to make the world safe from nuclear weapons and prioritize spending that improves lives, rather than endangering them.”
“The Trump administration’s Sentinel program is $60 billion over budget and years behind schedule. We need to invest into Americans, not further increase wasteful defense spending. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Investing in Children Before Missiles Act of 2025 that will pause the Sentinel program, commission an independent review of existing missile capacity, and redirect funds saved into K-12 programs in low-income communities,” said Rep. Khanna.
“While the world has changed significantly since I was a nuclear weapons policy analyst at the Pentagon and Congressional Budget Office, the costs associated with nuclear weapons have steadily increased,” said Senator Merkley. “The United States is currently spending billions of dollars on nuclear weapons programs with limited oversight and accountability. As cost overruns continue to mount, Congress must rein in out-of-control nuclear weapons spending and instead responsibly invest these dollars in the success of America’s future leaders: our children.”
“Instead of sinking tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into propping up a relic of our outdated Cold War-era nuclear strategy – and raising the risk of global mass destruction – we can invest more in fostering greater opportunity for our next generation. The Investing in Children Before Missiles Act does just that – diverting taxpayer funds away from an increasingly expensive boondoggle and instead directing them toward ensuring every child receives a quality education, without compromising our national security. If there ever was an opportunity for greater government efficiency, this is it,” said Senator Van Hollen.
The ICBM Act is endorsed by the Federation of American Scientists, Council for a Livable World, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Union of Concerned Scientists, Win Without War and United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society.
“Whether you think nuclear weapons make us more secure or put us at grave risk, everyone can agree that programs should run on time and on budget, or close to it. The Sentinel program is tens of billions over budget and years behind schedule. This is a classic white elephant program - rushed into production before key milestones were reached. The ICBM program should be sent back to the drawing board. We can do much better things that make America safer, stronger and more prosperous with $200 billion,” said Jon Wolfsthal, Director of Global Risk, Federation of American Scientists and former special assistant to the President.
“The Sentinel ICBM is completely unnecessary, wildly expensive, and so far behind schedule the Pentagon has only a vague idea of when it will be deployed. Given that ICBMs are vulnerable to attack, and therefore kept on hair trigger alert, they create pointless risk. UCS has long called for eliminating them entirely. Sentinel should be cancelled and existing ICBMs retired,” said Stephen Young, Associate Director, Government Affairs, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists.
“The Sentinel ICBM program is a case study in waste, risk, and misplaced priorities. There is no justification for pouring billions more into new land-based nuclear missiles that increase the risk of accidental war. Instead of deepening our dependence on Cold War-era thinking, we should invest in the future our children deserve: strong public schools, climate resilience, and real security rooted in equity and care. We applaud Senator Markey and Representative Khanna for their leadership in stopping the dangerous and costly Sentinel program and redirecting those resources to what truly keeps our communities safe,” said Sara Haghdoosti, Executive Director of Win Without War.
“In 2021, Sen. Markey and Rep. Khanna first introduced the ICBM Act to pause funding and work on the already-troubled Sentinel program. Since then, the Sentinel program has continued to raise alarm bells, including in 2024 when it violated the Nunn-McCurdy Act by being more than 30% over budget. Now, the more we learn about this program, the more problems we uncover about its exceptional cost — it is now at least 80% over budget — and inability to meet deadlines. These additional concerns even led the Air Force to talk about a further life-extension of the Minuteman III missile, which the Sentinel is supposed to replace. Enough. It is past time for Congress to ask some serious questions about the necessity of this program and make some tough decisions to stop throwing good money after bad. Modernization of our nuclear forces should not be a blank check. At a time when it seems every government program is under a microscope and funding for critical programs that help every day Americans is being cut, pausing funding and work on this one program until Congress can get to the bottom of the cause of its issues seems like a no-brainer,” said John Tierney, Executive Director, Council for a Livable World.
“As people of faith committed to peace, justice, and responsible stewardship of public resources, the Friends Committee on National Legislation strongly supports the Investing in Children Before Missiles (ICBM) Act. We oppose pouring billions into new nuclear weapon systems, especially one that’s so consistently over budget and behind schedule. It’s time to end the wasteful spending on the Sentinel program and invest instead in schools and communities,” said Allen Hester, Legislative Representative for Nuclear Disarmament & Pentagon Spending, Friends Committee on National Legislation.
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