A congressional conference committee has proposed adding $458M more for nuclear weapons to the 2019 spending bill, with a total $44.6B allocated to the Department of Energy, Defense News reported Wednesday.
The bill will provide $11.1B to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nuclear warhead management operations, and $1.9B to sustain U.S. nuclear warheads to comply with the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, released in February.
The compromise funding plan additionally allocates $65M for the development of a low-yield, submarine-launched ballistic missile and the modernization of a nuclear warhead for the U.S. Navy‘s Trident II D5 weapon.
The bill aligns with President Trump’s plan to refresh and expand America’s nuclear arsenal.
Congress will review the proposed nuclear weapons budget along with other government-spending bills before September ends.
