House Democrats are targeting the proposed increase in funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities account in the chamber’s fiscal 2018 energy and water appropriations bill by introducing a slew of amendments that seek to redirect money to other Energy Department offices.
The House today will begin debate on the Make America Secure Appropriations Act of 2018, which combines four spending bills already approved by House appropriators into a “minibus” package and is set for a floor vote later this week. The package includes an energy and water budget of roughly $38 billion, as well as spending proposals for the Defense Department, the Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.
The House Appropriations Committee earlier this month passed the measure that would grant the National Nuclear Security Administration $13.9 billion for the budget year beginning Oct. 1. That includes $10.2 billion for the agency’s weapons activities account (up by $921.3 million from the current level), $1.8 billion for defense nuclear nonproliferation, $1.5 billion for naval reactors, and $412.6 million for federal salaries and expenses.
Democrat lawmakers are now taking aim at the weapons activity increase, proposing the following amendments – as the House Rules Committee decides which, if any, are headed to the floor for debate:
- One from Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.) that cuts weapons activities funding by $921 million and adds that amount to DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
- One from Rep. Bill Foster (Ill.) redirecting $10 million in the weapons account to fighting bioterror.
- Another from Foster that transfers $107.8 million from weapons to DOE’s Office of Science.
- One from Rep. John Garamendi (Calif.) that reduces the weapons account’s infrastructure funding by $118 million and adds that to the defense nuclear nonproliferation account.
- One from Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.) that reduces NNSA weapons funding by $352 million while increasing EERE by $986.3 million and decreasing Fossil Energy Research and Development by $634.6 million.
- Another from Polis that cuts $108 million from weapons and directs that to the Office of Science.
- One from Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) that cuts weapons by $5 million and puts that toward the DOE’s Office of Inspector General.
- One from Rep. Peter Welch (Vt.) that cuts weapons by $17 million and puts that toward the Federal Energy Management Program within EERE.
- One from Rep. Al Green (Texas) that cuts weapons by $311 million and increases by that amount funding for flood control and storm damage reduction in Houston.
The Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved its version of the energy and water legislation, which provides $13.7 billion to the NNSA, including $10 billion for weapons activities, $1.9 billion for defense nuclear nonproliferation, $1.4 billion for naval reactors, and $396 million for federal salaries and expenses.
