Mike Nartker
NS&D Monitor
5/1/2015
Lawmakers were unsuccessful this week during floor debate on the House Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill in several attempts to reduce funding in the bill for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities. The full House subsequently voted 240-177 to approve the energy spending bill, which would provide a total of approximately $8.713 billion for the NNSA’s weapons program, $134 million less than President Obama’s $8.847 billion FY 2016 budget request. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) was unsuccessful in offering an amendment that would have cut funding in the bill for life extension programs by $25 million; and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) was unsuccessful with an amendment that would have cut approximately $167 million in funding for work tied to a new nuclear-armed cruise missile. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) proposed, then subsequently withdrew, an amendment that would have shifted approximately $240 million from the NNSA’s weapons accounts to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
Lawmakers had more mixed success, though, in altering funding in the energy spending bill for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, under construction at the Savannah River Site. As reported out of committee, the bill would have provided $345 million for the MOX project, matching the Obama Administration’s request. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) was successful in amending the bill to reduce the funding for the MOX project by approximately $14 million, with the funding shifted to the NNSA’s nuclear smuggling and detection account and research and development account. However, an amendment proposed by Garamendi that would have cut MOX funding by $125 million was unsuccessful.
