House E&W Panel to Mark Up FY 2016 Spending Bill Wednesday

House appropriators are getting an early start on Fiscal Year 2016 spending bills and the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations Act at 10 a.m. Wednesday. It’s the earliest the subcommittee has marked up the bill in recent years as House Appropriations Committee chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) looks to make good on his promise to move all 12 appropriations bills this summer. The Energy and Water panel is not likely to have much more money to work with than last year because defense spending is slated to stay relatively flat in FY 2016 with a cap of $523.1 billion on defense spending. The panel provided $8.2 billion for the NNSA’s weapons program in FY 2015 and $1.5 billion for the agency’s nonproliferation account; the Obama Administration has asked for $8.8 billion in FY 2016 for the NNSA’s weapons program and $1.9 billion for the NNSA’s nonproliferation work. The Administration requested $5.8 billion for the Office of Environmental Management in FY 2016, largely matching FY 2015 enacted levels. The markup will take place in Room 2362-B of the Rayburn House Office Building.