The Senate plans to resume deliberations late Monday of the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill.
The upper chamber’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for the budget year beginning Oct. 1 would allow $65 million for production of new low-yield nuclear warheads for ballistic missiles. The weapon would be developed by converting the W76 now used on Trident II D5 ballistic missiles carried by Ohio-class submarines.
The bill would also would allow DOE to begin designing additional low-yield warheads without congressional approval, as now required under the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, plans an amendment that would maintain the current law.
Among other measures, the Senate NDAA would require the Department of Energy to continue building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at its Savannah River Site in South Carolina. After spending $5 billion on the plant, DOE says it has a faster, cheaper way to carry out its mission of turning 34 metric tons of surplus nuclear weapon-usable plutonium into commercial reactor fuel. The agency wants to reconfigure the plant to produce fissile plutonium cores for nuclear weapons.
Senators have submitted hundreds of potential amendments for consideration. Among them is a proposal from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to prevent the Air Force from developing the Long-Range Standoff Weapon, the nuclear-armed cruise missile that will replace the current air-launched cruise missile.
Once Senate approves its version of the bill, it will have to form a conference committee with the House to produce a unified defense act for President Trump to sign. The annual National Defense Authorization Act is broadly considered must-pass legislation.
