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

Contents

• Introduction
• NNSA's FY2027 Budget Request
• Weapons Activities
• Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• Selected Legislative Activity
• Committee Hearings
• Authorization
• Appropriations
• FY2027 NNSA Budget Request: Summary of Congressional Action

Summary

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.

The House Armed Services Committee-reported version of an NDAA for Fiscal Year 2027 (H.R. 8800) would authorize $32.80 billion for NNSA, approximately as requested. The Senate Armed Services Committee-reported version of an NDAA for FY2027 (S. 4784) would authorize $32.31 billion for NNSA, approximately as requested.

The House Appropriations Committee-reported version of an Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027 (H.R. 9022), would provide $27.07 billion for NNSA, $5.73 billion (-17%) less than the FY2027 request. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not reported a version of the legislation.

Introduction

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.¹

Congress generally authorizes funding for NNSA in an annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and appropriates funding for NNSA through an annual Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. This report profiles NNSA's FY2027 budget request and tracks selected legislative activity.

NNSA's FY2027 Budget Request

In April 2026 congressional testimony, NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams stated that NNSA is "acting with urgency" to achieve its priorities,² which according to the NNSA's FY2027 budget request are to

(1) maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear weapons stockpile;

(2) reduce global nuclear threats and keep nuclear and radiological materials or expertise out of the hands of terrorists and adversaries;

(3) provide safe and effective integrated nuclear propulsion systems for the United States (U.S.) Navy to ensure it remains an unmatched fighting force;

(4) strengthen key science, technology and engineering capabilities to support all missions; and

(5) modernize the Department of Energy (DOE)'s weapons production enterprise.³

For FY2027, NNSA requested $32.80 billion—$7.40 billion (29%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $25.40 billion.⁴ The FY2025 reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21), sometimes referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, provided an additional $3.89 billion for NNSA through FY2029. The budget request stated, "most of [this amount] will be obligated in FY2026."⁵ NNSA projected that its budget request would increase in the outyears, from $33.46 billion in FY2028 to $35.51 billion in FY2031.⁶

As detailed in Table 1, NNSA requested the following amounts for its four accounts:

• $27.44 billion for Weapons Activities focused on the development, production, certification, and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear warhead stockpile. This request would provide $7.03 billion (35%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $20.38 billion (see details below).
• $2.39 billion for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) programs focused on nuclear nonproliferation and counterterrorism. This request would provide $22.60 million (1%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $2.37 billion (see details below).
• $2.39 billion for Naval Reactors programs that design, develop, operate, maintain, and decommission the U.S. Navy's nuclear reactors and dispose of naval spent nuclear fuel.⁷ This request would provide $259.69 million (12%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $2.13 billion.
• $577.10 million for Federal Salaries and Expenses for a total of "1,992 [full-time equivalent staff] providing appropriate oversight to ensure NNSA can meet growing mission requirements and commitments."⁸ This request would provide $52.10 million (10%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $525.00 million.

Weapons Activities

As detailed in Table 2, the FY2027 Weapons Activities request is $27.44 billion, which would provide $7.06 billion (35%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $20.38 billion. P.L. 119-21 provided an additional $3.89 billion for NNSA, all for Weapons Activities, "most of which will be obligated in FY2026," according to the budget request.⁹ In testimony, NNSA Administrator Williams stated that NNSA is "urgently rebuilding America's nuclear weapons enterprise with agility and resilience to field a more diverse, flexible, and effective deterrent on a timeline that influences adversaries' decisions."¹⁰ The following selected programs are part of the Weapons Activities account:

• Stockpile Management, through which NNSA modernizes, sustains, and dismantles warheads in the U.S. nuclear stockpile. In FY2027, NNSA is executing "seven simultaneous warhead modernization programs" and plans to "authorize new future concept programs."¹¹
• Production Modernization, through which NNSA modernizes facilities and infrastructure involved in the production of materials and components for nuclear warheads. NNSA seeks the capacity to annually produce 80 plutonium pits for warheads "as close to 2030 as possible," as per congressional mandate in 10 U.S.C. §6128, and to continue the construction and refurbishment of a number of facilities, such as the Uranium Processing Facility in Tennessee.¹²
• Stockpile Research, Technology, and Engineering, through which NNSA "conducts weapons design, certification, and assessment activities," including subcritical testing and plutonium aging research, that "ensure confidence in the nuclear stockpile of today and tomorrow."¹³ The new Rapid and Advanced Capabilities subprogram, authorized in Section 3113 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026 (P.L. 119-60), is "pursuing design, prototyping, and accelerated testing to deliver integrated and proven system concepts … for acquisition and fielding."¹⁴
• Infrastructure & Operations, through which NNSA "maintains, operates, and modernizes … infrastructure in a safe, secure, and cost-effective manner to support all NNSA programs."¹⁵

Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation

The DNN account consists of the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation program (with several subprograms) and the Nuclear Counterterrorism and Incident Response (NCTIR) program.¹⁶ As detailed in Table 3, the FY2027 DNN request is $2.39 billion, which is $22.60 million (1%) more than the FY2026 enacted discretionary amount of $2.37 billion. Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation subprograms include

• Material Management and Minimization (M3) conducts global activities to reduce and, where possible, remove weapons-usable material (i.e., highly enriched uranium or plutonium) from civilian use.¹⁷ NNSA Administrator Williams has said that M3 plans to focus "on HALEU [high-assay low-enriched uranium] production, HEU [highly-enriched uranium] removals, and implementing executive order and legal requirements related to surplus plutonium management."¹⁸
• Global Material Security (GMS) works on international nuclear and radiological security and nuclear smuggling detection and deterrence. This subprogram has proposed funding decreases for FY2027 due to continued use of "additional FY 2026 enacted funding above the FY 2026 request level."¹⁹ According to NNSA, GMS is working to fulfill the congressional mandate of "eliminating the use of blood irradiation devices in the United States that rely on cesium chloride by December 31, 2027," per P.L. 115-232, §3141.²⁰
• Nonproliferation and Arms Control (NPAC) activities include technical support for civil nuclear agreement negotiations, reviewing export applications and technology transfer authorizations, and developing technologies for treaty verification and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, including the verification and monitoring of "Iranian nuclear capabilities (including impacts of [U.S. military operations in Iran, such as] Operations MIDNIGHT HAMMER and EPIC FURY)."²¹
• Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R&D) works on developing U.S. "capabilities to detect and characterize global nuclear threats," such as foreign nuclear material and weapons production, diversion of weapons-usable material, and nuclear detonations.²²
• The Nonproliferation Construction subprogram aimed to dispose of excess U.S. weapons plutonium through a "dilute and dispose" strategy until May 2025, when Executive Order 14302 halted the program.²³ The budget request did not include funding for Nonproliferation Construction in FY2027.

The NCTIR program evaluates nuclear and radiological threats and develops emergency preparedness plans. The Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST), which provides security for major events such as FIFA World Cup 2026, is part of the NCTIR.²⁴

Selected Legislative Activity

As the FY2027 budget cycle proceeds, this section and Table 5 will be updated to provide details on selected congressional activity related to an FY2027 NDAA, an FY2027 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, and other relevant legislation.

Committee Hearings

The Senate and the House of Representatives held hearings at which NNSA officials provided details on the FY2027 budget request, including the following:²⁵

• an April 15, 2026, hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies (HEWD), in which some Members sought details on NNSA's plutonium pit production strategy and costs²⁶ and NNSA's spending plans for P.L. 119-21 funding;²⁷
• an April 20, 2026, hearing of the Senate Committee on Armed Services (SASC), Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, in which some Members sought details on proposed funding increases and warhead development activities in the Weapons Activities budget, NNSA's plutonium pit production strategy and costs, NNSA's potential contributions to U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran, NNSA's spending plans for P.L. 119-21 funding, and NNSA's long-range plans to modernize infrastructure;²⁸
• an April 22, 2026, hearing of the House Committee on Armed Services (HASC), Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, in which some Members sought details on proposed funding increases and warhead development activities in the Weapons Activities budget, NNSA's plutonium pit production strategy and costs, and U.S. policy on testing nuclear weapons;²⁹
• an April 29, 2026, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (SEWD), in which some Members sought details on funding increases in the Weapons Activities budget, costs and schedules of NNSA projects, NNSA's spending plans for P.L. 119-21 funding, NNSA's plutonium pit production strategy and costs, cuts to DNN budget and staff, and NNSA's potential contributions to U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran;³⁰ and
• a May 13, 2026, SASC hearing, in which some Members sought details on proposed funding increases and warhead development activities in the Weapons Activities budget, NNSA's plutonium pit production strategy, NNSA's potential contributions to U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran, U.S. policy on testing nuclear weapons, DNN R&D capabilities, and NNSA workforce issues.³¹

Authorization

On June 4, HASC debated and marked up an FY2027 NDAA (H.R. 8800). The HASC-reported bill would authorize $32.80 billion for NNSA, $5.00 million (0.02%) less than requested. The bill would authorize $27.59 billion for Weapons Activities, $145.00 million (1%) more than requested; $2.39 billion for DNN, as requested; $2.24 billion for Naval Reactors, $150.00 million (-6%) less than requested; and $577 million for Federal Salaries and Expenses, as requested. According to the accompanying report (H.Rept. 119-698), for Weapons Activities, H.R. 8800 would authorize more funding than requested for the W80-5 warhead for the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N); the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee; and the Material Staging Capability at the Pantex Plant in Texas.³² For Naval Reactors, H.R. 8800 would authorize less funding than requested for the Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project (SFHP) at the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho.³³

On June 8-9, SASC debated and marked up an FY2027 NDAA (S. 4784). The bill would authorize $32.31 billion for NNSA, which the committee stated was $9 million (0.02%) more than requested.³⁴ According to bill text and accompanying report (S.Rept. 119-127), the bill would authorize $27.02 billion for Weapons Activities, which the committee stated was $74.00 million (0.3%) more than requested;³⁵ $2.39 billion for DNN, as requested; $2.33 billion for Naval Reactors, $65.00 million (-3%) less than requested; and $577 million for Federal Salaries and Expenses, as requested.

For Weapons Activities, S. 4784 would authorize less funding than requested for certain programs, including Plutonium Modernization and Assessment Science.³⁶ It would authorize more funding than requested funding for the W88 Alteration 370 warhead program; the High Explosive Synthesis, Formulation, and Production (HESFP) and Material Staging Capability at Pantex; the Tritium Finishing Facility at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina; the National Ignition Facility Enhanced Fusion Yield Capability at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California; and Academic Programs.³⁷ For Naval Reactors, the bill would authorize less funding for SFHP.³⁸

S. 4784 and H.R. 8800 have a number of legislative provisions related to NNSA (see Table 4).

H.Rept. 119-698 also, in part, directed the NNSA Administrator to brief HASC on

• the status of NNSA efforts to control cost growth;
• the status of the Material Staging Capability Project at Pantex;
• "options to improve security and operational flexibility of NNSA activities at AMA [Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport], including the potential relocation of NNSA operations within the AMA boundary";
• NNSA's long-terms experimentation requirements in high-yield physics and related commercial partnership opportunities;
• NNSA's plans regarding "the availability and procurement of U.S.-origin unobligated and unencumbered uranium for defense mission needs"; and
• "the safety, security, and reliability of nuclear weapons and related systems," in coordination with the Secretary of Defense.³⁹

S.Rept. 119-127, in part

• directed the NNSA Administrator to
• alongside relevant Department of Defense⁴⁰ officials, brief SASC on the progress of the SLCM-N program;
• provide a briefing on NNSA plans for recapitalizing Pantex Plant infrastructure;
• provide a briefing to congressional defense committees on plutonium pit production and reuse planning;
• provide a briefing to congressional defense committees on procurement of U.S.-origin unobligated enriched uranium;
• provide a briefing to congressional defense committees on recycling spent fuel into long-duration radioisotope power systems;
• provide a briefing to congressional defense committees on use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support weapons design and stockpile stewardship; and
• provide a briefing to congressional defense committees on nuclear explosive test readiness;
• directed Comptroller General review of
• NNSA management and operating contractor construction burden;
• NNSA approaches to incentivizing contractors' performances;
• NNSA efforts to sustain science, technology, and engineering facilities;
• NNSA use of digital engineering; and
• the W93 modernization program; as well as
• commended DOE's Genesis Mission and stated NNSA should "capitalize on the successful model from the Exascale Computing Initiative" to develop partnerships "to drive the Genesis Mission and accelerate security improvements and the effectiveness of U.S. strategic assets."

Appropriations

On May 20, the House Appropriations Committee reported an Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027 (H.R. 9022). The proposed legislation would provide $27.07 billion for NNSA, $5.73 billion (-17%) less than the FY2027 request, according to the accompanying committee report (H.Rept. 119-667).⁴¹ The bill would provide $22.07 billion for Weapons Activities, $5.37 billion (-20%) less than requested; $2.08 billion for DNN, $304.75 million (-13%) less than requested; $2.39 billion for Naval Reactors, as requested; and $525.00 million for Federal Salaries and Expenses, $52.10 million (-9%) less than requested. The proposed legislation would make cuts across numerous DNN and Weapons Activities programs, save for Stockpile Management. The committee report stated that regarding Weapons Activities, "The Committee notes NNSA's unobligated balance of [$2.61 billion]." It continued, "Given resource constraints, the Committee must make difficult tradeoffs to prioritize the greatest needs in a fiscally responsible manner."⁴² With regard to DNN, the committee report stated that reductions in this account were "intended to reduce foreign long-term dependency on the United States while refocusing the Global Material Security program on the activities that have the greatest impact on national security."⁴³

H.Rept. 119-667, in part

• encouraged NNSA, regarding Weapons Activities, to "invest additional resources and efforts into technology transfer programs to support the research, development, and deployment of groundbreaking technologies";
• reminded NNSA of the requirement in P.L. 119-74 to brief the committees on the status of the Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12;
• encouraged NNSA, with regard to the Tritium and Defense Fuels program, to reduce supply chain risk by strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity for specialized components for centrifuge qualification and production;
• expected NNSA to ensure that its realignment of academic programs to better support Weapons Activities requirements "maintains a strong pipeline of technical talent and preserves support for mission-relevant university research critical to the long-term success of the nuclear security enterprise";
• directed NNSA to capitalize on the success of the Exascale Computing Initiative to partner industry, academia, and government in supporting the Genesis Mission;
• encouraged NNSA to prioritize the transfer of knowledge and capabilities with regard to hardware assurance and tamper-resistant systems "developed in the national laboratory system to commercial AI hardware manufacturers through public-private partnerships, cooperative research agreements, and competitive grand challenge programs";
• encouraged NNSA to collaborate with DOD to survey and remove munitions and unexploded ordnances in and around tribal lands.
• directed the NNSA to provide a briefing on Pantex long-term recapitalization;
• directed the NNSA to provide a briefing on counter uncrewed aircraft systems (CUAS) capabilities;
• encouraged NNSA to evaluate and deploy wireless intrusion detection systems and consider pilot deployments and assess scalability for broader use across the nuclear security enterprise;
• encouraged Naval Reactors to continue evaluating applications for Powder Metallurgy Hot Isostatic Pressing technologies to "address long lead times and capacity constraints for critical shipbuilding components"; and
• directed Naval Reactors to continue providing updates on SFHP progress.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has not reported a version of the legislation as of the date of this report.

FY2027 NNSA Budget Request: Summary of Congressional Action

Footnotes