Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) April 15 pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright over funding instability affecting key projects at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), warning that continued uncertainty could delay work central to the nation’s nuclear stockpile stewardship mission.
Lee, speaking at the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee’s hearing on the White House’s Department of Energy budget, highlighted several efforts at the site — including the U1a complex enhancements project, the Zeus test bed facility infrastructure project and construction of a new access shaft.
“These projects are designed to expand our experimental capabilities in support of our nuclear stockpile assessment programs and to ensure continued access to underground test facilities,” Lee said, “and any disruption in funding for these projects risks delays that could compromise the stockpile stewardship mission.”
Lee’s concerns centered on the allocation of funds from recent legislation, which she said has created planning challenges across the nuclear security enterprise. “For months, it was unclear how those funds would be distributed across the nuclear security enterprise, and I understand that allocations have shifted significantly in recent weeks, and then could shift again,” she said.
According to Lee, weapons activities funding in the fiscal 2027 request ultimately came in about $217 million below the White House’s previous year’s budget request, even while weapons activities funding in the upcoming year’s budget request was $7 billion or 35% higher than fiscal 2026 enacted levels. “So that kind of uncertainty makes it incredibly difficult for sites like NNSS to plan and execute this critical work,” she said. “And I just wanted to know if you could clarify how the one big, beautiful bill funds are being allocated across the enterprise, and when whether any of those funds are going to be flowing to these projects in Nevada.”