The Senate Tuesday evening advanced a continuing budget resolution that, if made law, would avert an impending government shutdown and keep federal funding at 2022 levels.
The stopgap budget, which on Tuesday, by a 72-23 margin, the upper chamber agreed to vote on later this week, would largely keep federal spending at the levels set for the 2022 fiscal year by a bipartisan budget omnibus signed in March by President Joe Biden. The federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
Among the nuclear weapons complex programs funded under the proposed bill, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management would be allocated its fiscal 2022 spending, around $7.9 billion.
The semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration would see its 2022 funding of roughly $26.65 billion extended under the proposed continuing resolution.
In addition to that allocation Congress also proposed an additional $35 million for NNSA that, according to a bill summary, would be used “ to respond to potential nuclear and radiological incidents in Ukraine, assist Ukrainian partners with security of nuclear and radiological materials, and prevent illicit smuggling of nuclear and radiological material.”
Meanwhile, the stopgap bill would greenlight around $1.65 billion in funding for DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, consistent with 2022 levels. Funding for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the executive branch’s autonomous civilian nuclear power regulator, remained at the $874 million or so greenlit in the March omnibus.
The independent Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board would receive $3.8 million under the stopgap.
Updated 09/27/2022 11:43 p.m. Eastern time with tally from the Senate’s vote.
