The proposed fiscal 2027 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill drew criticism from top Democratic appropriators over a $282 million reduction to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account.
During debate at Wednesday’s full Appropriations committee markup, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, argued the proposed 12% cut would undermine efforts to secure nuclear materials and prevent weapons proliferation amid rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“This bill threatens our national security,” DeLauro said, arguing the reduction would hamper efforts “to track down, secure and dispose [of] material that can be used to develop a nuclear weapon” and make it harder to prevent dangerous weapons from “falling into the wrong hands.”
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, similarly criticized the proposed funding reduction, calling it “unwise in a dangerous world made more risky by the current war in the Middle East.”
Kaptur said lawmakers should provide “no less than $2.367 billion to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons,” adding, “we cannot retreat as nuclear threats increase.”
Democrats also linked the funding debate to broader concerns about U.S. policy toward Iran and the erosion of nuclear diplomacy. DeLauro referenced the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, arguing the agreement constrained Tehran’s nuclear activities before President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord during his first term.
“We had an agreement with Iran that prevented them from building bombs,” DeLauro said, adding there has been “no replacement for that framework.”
One Republican acknowledged the reduction but emphasized continued support for core nonproliferation activities. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), whose district abuts the Hanford Site, said the legislation “slightly reduces funding” for critical work within Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation.
“It is imperative for funding to continue for DNN [Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation] to stop adversary state and non-state actors from developing nuclear weapons,” Newhouse said, later adding that “appropriations is a negotiation.”
The proposed reduction comes as lawmakers weigh competing national security priorities and fiscal constraints in shaping NNSA’s budget request for fiscal 2027.