The Senate Armed Services Committee said Monday it plans from June 8 to 10 to hold individual subcommittee markups and a full panel markup of the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill.
The Strategic Forces part of the legislation, which includes nuclear weapons programs managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), is to be one of the first sections drafted. The nuclear parts of the bill are slated to be written June 8.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading across the globe earlier this year, observers worried that social distancing guidelines that have altered normal working routines would delay lawmakers’ progress on the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). However, the leaders of Congress’ Armed Services committees have expressed determination to keep the markup schedule on track.
“For the past 59 years—in spite of any and all obstacles—we have enacted a bipartisan defense bill,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a Tuesday statement. “This year is no different; the NDAA is a priority.”
The NDAA sets policy and spending caps for the Department of Defense, along with the NNSA nuclear weapons programs.
The panel will conduct nearly all markup sessions at the secret level, with the exception of the personnel subcommittee, keeping in tradition with previous years. Subcommittee hearing markups will begin June 8 and run through June 9, with the full committee session scheduled for 9:30 a.m. June 10. If needed, the committee has scheduled an extra session on June 11 to continue the markup.
The House Armed Services Committee has not yet set a schedule for its own NDAA markups. Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) has previously told reporters his goal is to complete the process by October, despite the extra pressure imposed by COVID-19.
The Defense Department released its fiscal 2021 budget request on Feb. 10. It is asking for just over $705 billion for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, a $0.8 billion increase over the 2020 enacted appropriation for base and overseas contingency operations funding.
The NDAA also authorizes funding levels for the NNSA and most of the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management. The NNSA is looking for a big raise this year, to around $20 billion from the current budget of more than $16.5 billion. The DOE nuclear weapons agency says it needs the funding to compensate for previous, insufficient budget estimates for how long it will take to modernize key plutonium and uranium infrastructure, and complete ongoing weapon refurbishments. Last year, the NNSA estimated it would need about $17 billion for the 2021 fiscal year.
Inhofe is one of the most influential lawmakers on Capitol Hill who agrees that NNSA needs the extra funding.
This story first appeared in Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor affiliate publication Defense Daily.
