GAO STILL WAITING FOR NNSA BUDGET DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE REQUIRED REVIEW

The Government Accountability Office hasn’t been able to complete a review of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget request because the agency still hasn’t finished work on budgetary planning documents. In a June 7 letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, GAO Natural Resources and Environment Director Gene Aloise said the agency hasn’t completed its Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, Future Years Nuclear Security Program, or the 10-year plan budget plan required by the FY2012 Defense Authorization Act. “Without these key documents we remain unable to fulfill our obligation under section 3113 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to review and assess NNAS plans and budget for the modernization and refurbishment of the nuclear security enterprise,” Aloise said in a letter to Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.). “… We will conduct the required analysis and will report to your committees when NNSA provides us with these documents.”

The NNSA has said that funding cuts brought about by last year’s Budget Control Act forced it to revamp its budget projections, and the agency did not provide a five-year budget plan with its budget submission in February. Aloise said that the GAO has been told that the budget projections will be completed in July.