R48946 — National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) FY2027 Budget and Policy Issues: In Brief

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a semiautonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). NNSA is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, carrying out nuclear nonproliferation activities and nuclear and radiological emergency response, and providing nuclear reactors and fuel to the U.S. Navy. (For additional information on NNSA and its sites, see CRS Report R48194, The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise: Background and Possible Issues for Congress.) For FY2027, NNSA requested $32.80 billion—$7.40 billion (29%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $25.40 billion. Of this, $27.44 billion was requested for programs related to development, production, certification, and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear warhead stockpile (i.e., the Weapons Activities account) and $2.39 billion for nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear counterterrorism (i.e., the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account). NNSA also requested $2.39 billion for the Naval Reactors program, carried out in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, and $577.10 million for NNSA federal salaries and expenses. Congress generally authorizes funding for NNSA in an annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and provides funding for NNSA through an annual Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. In authorizations and appropriations hearings for NNSA’s FY2027 budget request, some Members have discussed oversight issues, such as proposed funding increases and warhead development activities in the Weapons Activities budget, NNSA’s plutonium pit production strategy and costs, proposed cuts to the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation budget and staff, costs and schedules of NNSA projects, NNSA’s long-range plans to modernize infrastructure, NNSA’s potential contributions to the monitoring and verification of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and U.S. policy on testing nuclear weapons. This report profiles NNSA’s FY2027 budget request and tracks selected legislative activity.

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