We’ve made a point of highlighting the different funding decisions made by the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and GOP-controlled House Appropriations Committee (HAC) regarding the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) weapons activities account, particularly the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement – Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF). Whereas HASC increased funding for these programs, the appropriations committee funded them at the administration’s request (including no funding for the CMRR-NF pursuant to the administration’s decision to delay the facility by 5 years).
Now that the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee report is out (the full Committee is scheduled to approve it today), we have still more examples of differences between HASC and GOP appropriators, in this case regarding the Ohio Class replacement program (also known as the SSBN(X)) and the Ground Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. For example, while the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee increased the Pentagon’s base budget (051) request by $3.1 billion, it supported the Pentagon’s decision to delay the Ohio-Class replacement program by two years. HASC added money in an attempt to reverse this delay.
Defense News’ Kate Brannen reported on the dust-up going on within the GOP on these issues a few days ago. Below is a chart which highlights them in more detail:
