The annual must-pass defense policy bill that sets spending limits for Department of Energy nuclear weapons programs is headed for its final debate in Congress after the House on Tuesday voted for a conference with the Senate.
At a high level, the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate this year crafted wildly different versions of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that now must be reconciled before President Joe Biden (D) can sign the measure into law.
But in both versions of the bill, nuclear weapons and nuclear-weapons-cleanup were largely untouched by the House’s drive to sharply cut government spending and enforce conservative policies about abortion and diversity hiring at the Pentagon.
Under both the House and Senate NDAAs, the National Nuclear Security Administration would be authorized to spend $24 billion or so, up $276 million from $23.8 billion in the Biden Administration’s request.
Both versions of the NDAA also authorize roughly $7 billion in funding for the largest account within the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, which cleans up shuttered nuclear-weapons production sites. The Senate’s version of the bill would expand access to worker illness benefits for some current and former nuclear weapons workers.
Meanwhile, and in a twist this year, the Senate NDAA includes substantial policy reforms for the federal government’s civilian nuclear-energy programs.
These include: new reports about U.S. nuclear waste and the taxpayer expenses associated with it; provisions designed to make the Nuclear Regulatory Commission more efficient; and language that encourages the export of U.S. nuclear technology and know-how.
The House NDAA does not include the sweeping nuclear-energy policy changes that the Senate bill does, but the House Energy and Commerce Committee this summer passed legislation touching on many of those same issues. Members of that committee, including ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) were appointed to the NDAA conference committee.
