The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) would receive $42 million in fiscal 2027, under the bill advanced by the House Appropriations Committee last week.
The $42 million is the same amount that Congress enacted for DNFSB for fiscal 2026, which ends Sept. 30.
It is also less than the $45 million that the Donald Trump administration requested for the board meant to provide independent safety analysis and recommendations to the Department of Energy for its nuclear defense sites.
The House Appropriations Committee’s Energy & Water Development bill must still be voted upon by the full House of Representatives and acted upon by the Senate.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 1989 created DNFSB.
The board, composed of five members appointed by the president, is responsible for “reviewing and evaluating the content and implementation of the standards relating to the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning” of DOE’s defense nuclear facilities, according to the bill report language.
DNFSB currently has only one member and four vacancies on the panel.