Senate Armed Services committee chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released legislative text to the House-passed reconciliation bill Tuesday that would request $96 million to classified nuclear deterrence programs.
The $96 million is a $74 million increase from the House version of the bill, passed in May with a razor-thin majority. It is part of the section on the enhancement of resources for nuclear forces that includes $15 billion for nuclear deterrence as a whole. This includes accelerated modernization of the triad and investments into nuclear weapons manufacturing.
The Senate bill also made changes to appropriations for the National Nuclear Security Administration, including a $20 million increase to domestic uranium enrichment centrifuge deployment, a $10 million increase to spent fuel reprocessing technologies, and a $115 million increase to accelerate national security missions through artificial intelligence.
“This bill is a landmark down payment toward the modernization of our military and our defense capabilities,” Wicker said in a press release.
Chair of the House Armed Services committee Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) added, “Now that the Senate will soon take up the One Big, Beautiful Bill, I’m eager to continue our forward momentum and get this to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”
While the Senate does not yet have a vote scheduled for the reconcilation bill, Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said to reporters Monday he hopes to have the bill on the president’s desk “by the Fourth of July.” He can only afford three Republican no votes if all Democrats vote against it, as expected.
Already, a handful of Republicans have expressed dissent for the bill, according to CBS News, including Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Josh Hawley (Mo.), and Rand Paul (Ky.).
