The House of Representatives will not debate its version of the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) until after the Fourth of July, but lawmakers have already proposed several pro- and anti-nuclear amendments to the annual defense policy bill.
Lawmakers proposed their amendments Tuesday to the House Rules Committee. The panel plans to set the terms for floor debate, including which amendments will be allowed on the floor, the week of July 8.
The House Armed Services Committee approved its NDAA in mid-June. The bill would slow development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and ban the Navy from deploying a new low-yield nuclear warhead.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), ranking Republican on the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, proposed an amendment to un-ban deployment of the low-yield W76-2 warhead on the Trident II-D5 missiles carried by the Navy’s Ohio-class submarines, based on certification by the secretary of defense. The amendment would also require the defense secretary to certify whether the U.S. already has a nuclear weapon that provides the deterrent effect the Donald Trump administration says requires the W76-2.
The White House says the U.S. needs a low-yield nuclear weapon capable of a quick and assured strike deep in enemy territory to prevent Russia from using a similarly powerful weapon to quickly win a war that could not be won using conventional weapons. House Democrats say the existing U.S. nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter Russia.
Meanwhile, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) proposed an amendment that would forbid authorization of over $44 million in 2020 funding that the Pentagon seeks to demonstrate and validate technology needed for current and future ICBMs.
The development Tlaib wants to defund is not part of the ongoing competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman to design the nuclear-tipped Ground Based Strategic Deterrent missile the Pentagon wants to deploy in 2030 to replace the current silo-based fleet of Minuteman III nuclear ICBMs.
The House NDAA is on a collision course with the Senate NDAA. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he hopes the upper chamber will vote on its NDAA this week. The measure authorizes all the 2020 funding the White House sought for Department of Energy and Pentagon nuclear programs.
Overall, the House NDAA authorizes $15.8 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration: about 4% less funding than requested, but an increase of about 4.5%, from the enacted 2019 budget.
