America's Nuclear Weapons Plan Gets a Boost

The House of Representatives approved a measure on Thursday that boosts nuclear spending for present and future stockpiles, defense and energy security, and uranium enrichment.

House Resolution 4394 was approved by a 210-199 vote and provides about $56.96 billion in discretionary spending towards the 2024 fiscal year, approximately $2.96 billion below President Joe Biden's budget request. It also increases defense spending by about $1.11 billion compared to the current fiscal year.

The appropriations bill was initially introduced in June by Tennessee Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee. It includes the following nuclear-related spending:

• $19.114 billion for the continued modernization of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure.
• $1.946 billion for naval reactors to support the operational nuclear fleet, Columbia-class submarine reactor development, and research and development for current and future generations of nuclear-powered warships.
• $2.38 billion to reduce the threat of hostile nations or terrorist groups acquiring nuclear devices, radiological dispersal devices, weapons-usable material, and nuclear expertise.

It also aims to reduce reliance on foreign uranium sources by supporting domestic uranium enrichment capabilities, including high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU).

Lawmakers say that the United States must power current and future commercial nuclear reactors. Advancing small and advanced reactors is part of that objective, as is appropriating more than $200 million for the production of related critical minerals.

"[Bipartisan efforts led to] a historic bill that invests in modernizing our nuclear deterrent and enterprise, prioritizes America's energy security by revitalizing domestic uranium enrichment capabilities, funds upgrades to water infrastructure projects nationwide, and keeps the United States the world leader in scientific research and discovery," Fleischmann said in a post-vote statement.

Newsweek reached out to Fleischmann via email for additional comment.

HALEU is uranium that contains uranium-235 at levels of between 5 and 20 percent, Sara Pozzi, a professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences at the University of Michigan and director of the Consortium for Monitoring, Technology and Verification (MTV), told Newsweek via email on Friday.

Uranium-235 is the isotope or "type" of uranium that fissions and sustains the nuclear chain reaction. It is a higher level than what is currently used in nuclear fuel for traditional nuclear power plants.

"HALEU nuclear fuel is being developed because new, advanced reactors require it," Pozzi said. "These new reactors promise to be smaller, less expensive to build and operate, and better able to utilize the fuel (for better efficiency). Nuclear energy does not emit harmful greenhouse gases."

Congressional action follows what some experts consider a dire outlook on the nation's nuclear advancements in comparison to adversaries like China and Russia.

The Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States was established as part of fiscal year 2022 funding, intended to "examine and make recommendations with respect to the long-term strategic posture of the United States" in areas including deterrence, arms control initiatives, and nonproliferation strategies.

A 160-page report published earlier this month by the commission noted how workforce shortages, supply chain limitations and inadequate physical, scientific, technical and experimental infrastructure at the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) have impacted American military readiness.

"These shortcomings resulted from years of inattention and if not addressed promptly, will continue to limit the U.S. ability to prepare and respond to the new challenges....We concluded that the United States does not truly have, but must commit to, a 'whole-of-government' approach to be more efficient and effective," said Commission Chair Madelyn Creedon and Vice Chair Jon Kyl.

While presenting the report's findings at the Hudson Institute think tank this week, Creedon warned that the industrial base supporting the U.S. nuclear arsenal "is out of date, unusable, or in some cases, literally falling down," according to Foreign Policy on Thursday.

She added that neither the Pentagon nor the DOE "have enough capacity to meet future requirements."

Pozzi agrees, mentioning how with the notable exception of North Korea, countries have stopped nuclear weapons testing by nuclear explosions underground.

This new approximate 7.5 percent budget increase for the NNSA addresses inflation in addition to the need to train, attract and retain the next generation of the nuclear workforce, she added.

"Most nuclear weapons in the U.S. stockpile were produced during the 1950s and 1960s," Pozzi said. "The reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile must be maintained through sustained scientific and technical efforts. A reliable nuclear weapons stockpile is essential for nuclear security and deterrence."

Newsweek also reached out to the commission, DOD and DOE via email for comment.

Update 10/27/23, 12:38 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Pozzi.