Several nuclear weapons issues, touching on life extension programs, research prohibitions and more, could come up for debate on the House floor next week when lawmakers return to Washington.
After a week at home for Independence Day, lawmakers were set to resume floor votes on July 12, according to the majority leader’s calendar. Looming large is the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that by and large authorizes all the funding the Joe Biden administration requested for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Among the full list of amendments to the House NDAA are familiar ideological wish-list items pitting Democratic progressives who favor nuclear disarmament against a broader, bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who have usually supported the ongoing modernization of the U.S. arsenal that began in 2016 under the Barack Obama administration.
A few amendments more tailored to the current state of defense-nuclear programs at the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous nuclear weapons agency include:
- A bipartisan amendment from Reps. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) to authorize an extra $5 million in spending for the W80-4 air-launched cruise missile life extension program at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). To keep authorized spending at the agency level, the amendment would also strip $5 million out of NNSA’s deferred maintenance budget.
- A bipartisan amendment from Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) and Johnny Panetta (D-Calif.) that would repeal a law that stops the National Nuclear Security Administration from conducting certain research and development programs on new nuclear weapon designs without a specific authorization from Congress.
- An amendment from Reps. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) that would require the NNSA to “report on options for partnering with private industry” to hedge perceived supply chain risks related to glove boxes needed to production plutonium pits at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C.
- An amendment from Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) to make all residents of Mohave County, Ariz., and Clark County, Nev., eligible for financial compensation for certain cancer treatments, potentially caused by atmospheric nuclear tests or uranium mining, under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Only certain parts of those counties were eligible under the law as written.
