FY 2015 Appropriations: National Nuclear Security Administration

Congress is nearing completion of the FY 2015 appropriations cycle. The House and Senate are scheduled to consider a $1.1 trillion bill providing funding through September 30, 2015 for all departments and agencies with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security that will be funded through early 2015.

The bill has not been printed in final form. The section on the National Nuclear Security Administration is found on PDF pages 88-96, with a funding table on PDF pages 107-110. Note that language in the previous House and Senate appropriations reports stands unless modified by language in the conference report.

Total National Nuclear Security Administration:

The FY 2014 appropriation was $11,207.0 million
The FY 2015 request is $11,658.0 million, an increase of $451.0 million or 4.0 percent
The House bill provides $11,361.6 million, an increase of $154.6 million or 1.4 percent above current funding
The Senate bill provides $11,890.9 million, an increase of $683.9 million or 6.1 percent above current funding
The final bill provides $11,407.3 million, an increase of $200.3 million or 1.8 percent above current funding

The conference report has brief language regarding contractor defined benefit pension plan payments.

Within the NNSA are the following selected programs:

Weapons Activities:

The FY 2014 appropriation was $7,781.0 million
The FY 2015 request is $8,314.9 million, an increase of $533.9 million or 6.9 percent
The House bill provides $8,204.2 million, an increase of $423.2 million or 5.4 percent above current funding
The Senate bill provides $8,314.9 million, an increase of $533.9 million or 6.9 percent above current funding
The final bill provides $8,186.7 million, an increase of $405.7 million or 5.2 percent above current funding (accounting for a $45.1 million rescission of prior year funding.)

The conference report has language on funding for “Directed Stockpile Work,” “Cruise Missile Warhead life extension study,” “Research and Development Certification and Safety,” RDT&E, “Science,” “Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Yield,” “Advanced Simulation and Computing,” “Advanced Manufacturing Development,” “Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities,” “Recapitalization” (accompanied by a detailed table), “Uranium Processing Facility, Y-12 National Security Complex,” “Nuclear Counterterrorism Incident Response,” “Site Stewardship,” “Defense Nuclear Security,” and “Domestic Uranium Enrichment Research, Development and Demonstration.”

Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation:

The FY 2014 appropriation was $1,954.0 million
The FY 2015 request is $1,555.2 million, a decrease of $398.8 million or 20.4 percent
The House bill provides $1,555.2 million, a decrease of $398.8 million or 20.4 percent below current funding
The Senate bill provides $1,978.0 million, an increase of $24.0 million or 1.2 percent above current funding
The final bill provides $1,616.6 million, a decrease of $337.4 million or 17.3 percent below current funding (accounting for a $24.7 million rescission of prior year funding.)

The conference report has language on “Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D,” “International Material Protection and Cooperation,” “Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, Savannah River” (including language regarding a prohibition on placing the project in cold standby in FY 2015), “Global Threat Reduction Initiative,” and “Use of Prior-Year Balances.”

Naval Reactors:

The FY 2014 appropriation was $1,095.0 million
The FY 2015 request is $1,377.1 million, an increase of $282.1 million or 25.8 percent
The House bill provides $1,215.3 million, an increase of $120.3 million or 11.0 percent above current funding
The Senate bill provides 1,208.0 million, an increase of $113.0 million or 10.3 percent above current funding
The final bill provides $1,234.0 million, an increase of $139.0 million or 12.7 percent above current funding (accounting for a $4.5 million rescission of prior year funding.)

The conference report has language on funding for Naval Reactors Operations and Infrastructure,” and “Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project, Naval Reactors Facility.”