The Continuing Resolution for FY13 has been approved and sent to the
President. NNSA gets its full funding for FY13, no sequester cuts. Is
this good news for the Lab? Does it mean furlough won't be necessary is
year?
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House Approves Full Funding for NNSA Nuke Work
March 21, 2013
By Chris Schneidmiller
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday approved full funding for nuclear weapons operations at a branch of the Energy Department in a budget that will keep the federal government operating through the rest of this fiscal year.
The Senate voted for the continuing resolution legislation on Wednesday, leaving only President Obama's signature necessary for it to become law.
National Nuclear Security Administration operations to maintain a safe, secure and reliable nuclear arsenal are to receive $7.6 billion in fiscal 2013, which ends on Sept. 30. That is the amount sought by the Obama administration.
Another $110 million would be used for "domestic uranium enrichment research, development and demonstration" at the agency that oversees research laboratories and other components of the nuclear arms complex, according to the spending plan. That is $40 million less than requested by the White House.
The current continuing resolution provides federal funding through March 27. The new legislation would provide full-year appropriations levels for a handful of departments, including Defense, Homeland Security and Commerce. Most other agencies would be restricted to funding at fiscal 2012 levels,
House lawmakers also approved $519 million though Sept. 30, 2015, for the Pentagon's Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which aims to secure or eliminate unconventional weapons and materials in the former Soviet Union and beyond.
Another $1.3 billion would be directed toward Defense Department chemical weapons disposal operations.
“I’m proud that we were able to reach across the aisle -- and across Capitol Hill -- to produce a meaningful, bipartisan bill that funds the government responsibly," House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said in provided comments. “With the approval of this measure, we have laid the foundation for thoughtful and responsible consideration of appropriations bills, and can now focus our attention on next year’s work. I encourage the President to sign this bill into law without delay.”
-----------------------
House Approves Full Funding for NNSA Nuke Work
March 21, 2013
By Chris Schneidmiller
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday approved full funding for nuclear weapons operations at a branch of the Energy Department in a budget that will keep the federal government operating through the rest of this fiscal year.
The Senate voted for the continuing resolution legislation on Wednesday, leaving only President Obama's signature necessary for it to become law.
National Nuclear Security Administration operations to maintain a safe, secure and reliable nuclear arsenal are to receive $7.6 billion in fiscal 2013, which ends on Sept. 30. That is the amount sought by the Obama administration.
Another $110 million would be used for "domestic uranium enrichment research, development and demonstration" at the agency that oversees research laboratories and other components of the nuclear arms complex, according to the spending plan. That is $40 million less than requested by the White House.
The current continuing resolution provides federal funding through March 27. The new legislation would provide full-year appropriations levels for a handful of departments, including Defense, Homeland Security and Commerce. Most other agencies would be restricted to funding at fiscal 2012 levels,
House lawmakers also approved $519 million though Sept. 30, 2015, for the Pentagon's Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which aims to secure or eliminate unconventional weapons and materials in the former Soviet Union and beyond.
Another $1.3 billion would be directed toward Defense Department chemical weapons disposal operations.
“I’m proud that we were able to reach across the aisle -- and across Capitol Hill -- to produce a meaningful, bipartisan bill that funds the government responsibly," House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said in provided comments. “With the approval of this measure, we have laid the foundation for thoughtful and responsible consideration of appropriations bills, and can now focus our attention on next year’s work. I encourage the President to sign this bill into law without delay.”
Comments
I don't expect the cuts coming due to sequestration to stop any time soon. It's the only "solution" left when you have a Congress that is dead-locked and dysfunctional. Both political parties are already prepping and positioning for the 2014 mid-term elections!
You'll see additional ~2.5% accumulative cuts in the defense budget year after year for some time to come. Layoffs and furloughs at the labs will be inevitable under this scenario. If not this year, then the next.
Actually under the CR for FY13, NNSA is explicitly exempt from the sequestration.
You are correct that FY14 will be a different issue.
“Sequestration is having an impact at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant and it's going to hurt, but -- contrary to earlier projections -- the spending reductions apparently will not result in employees being furloughed.”
"We do not expect furloughs to be necessary," B&W Y-12 spokeswoman Ellen Boatner said today in response to questions.”
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/munger/2013/03/no-furloughs-at-y-12.html
Parney explained why the other labs were not anticipating furlough/layoffs. They had a significant amount of carry over money from previous year(s) where LLNL did not. He pointed out that having the carry over money is not the same as having permission to use it. If NNSA tells LANL and Sandia that they can't use it to protect themselves as they anticipate, things could look uglier for them than LLNL.
Many other agencies or programs had their baselines adjusted to soften the impact of the sequester, but like NNSA, they are still subject to it.
By the by, according to the OMB guidance, the sequester percentage for NNSA nuclear weapons activities is 7.8%. It is also 7.8% for NNSA nonproliferation programs. These two budget lines cover the vast majority of the LLNL NNSA budget, albeit with nuclear weapons activities being the lion's share.
In conclusion: The FY 2013 budget request for nuclear weapons activities as passed in the CR is 5% above the FY 2012 actual budget. Therefore, the impact of the 7.8% cut in the sequester should be mild. If things that are wild, unforeseen and major occur, it will be due to mismanagement of funds not a genuine lack of them.
Easy for Marylia to say.
March 25, 2013 at 12:35 PM
Like the front-row at a Redskins game!
Mild cuts are when your friends get laid off, serious cut are when you get laid off.
March 25, 2013 at 5:33 PM
"It's" not "its". "Seriously" not "serious." It's difficult to take you seriously because of your ignorance of the English language.