The Senate was set to resume consideration of its 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, then begin consideration of a three-bill appropriations package that includes the Department of Energy’s 2019 budget.
The Senate could vote on the NDAA as soon as 5:30 p.m. today. The bill sets policy and spending limits for defense programs for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, including DOE’s active nuclear weapons programs and cleanup of Cold War nuclear waste.
Among other things, the NDAA authorizes $65 million in spending for the low-yield, submarine-launched ballistic-missile warhead the Donald Trump administration called on DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration to build.
Last week, the Senate struck down an amendment to the bill that would have preserved a legal requirement that DOE get Congress’ permission to start on development of new nuclear warheads.
Overall, the NDAA authorizes some $15 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration, and more than $5.5 billion for defense environmental cleanup run by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. The office’s annual budget includes other work not authorized under the NDAA.
After completing consideration of the NDAA, the Senate will hold a procedural vote on whether to begin formal debate on a 2019 appropriations package — informally called a minibus — that proposes roughly $35 billion for DOE in 2019. That includes almost $15 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration and around $7 billion for the Environmental Management office.
The Senate’s 2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill does not include any funding for the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev. A 2019 appropriations package passed by the House last month included around $270 million for Yucca.
