The current level of spending on nuclear weapons “is unnecessary and unsustainable,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) argues in a Dec. 3 op-ed in the Washington Post. Feinstein, currently the chair of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, makes the case for reducing the number of ‘hedge’ weapons in the stockpile. “Of our stockpile of 4,804 weapons, only 1,600 are currently deployed, which means there are 3,204 backup weapons. We maintain this hedge in case of problems with the deployed weapons or if world events require additional deployments. Having reserve weapons may be smart policy, but maintaining two spares for each deployed weapon is excessive,” she writes, adding, “We can reduce these reserve weapons without the painstaking task of negotiating further arms-control treaties. We can do so without negatively affecting our national security or our global deterrence. And doing so could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year.”