Inhofe Emphasizes Need for Real Budget Growth at National Nuclear Security Administration Hearing

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today gave opening remarks at a hearing on the Department of Energy's and National Nuclear Security Administration's fiscal year 2023 budget request.

Witnesses included: the Honorable Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy; and the Honorable Jill Hruby, Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also want to welcome our witnesses. We have had the privilege of being with our witnesses on other issues in the past. It's an honor to have them here today.

One of the things that I've been proud of over the past few years is this committee's focus on rebuilding the foundation of the United States' national security - our nation's nuclear deterrent. We've made a lot of progress in this area over the past several years, but even that progress is just the first step in a long journey to make up for decades of neglect.

A third of National Nuclear Security Administration's [NNSA] facilities date back to World War II, and we have buildings where concrete has fallen from the ceiling and hit some of the workers, we've had occasions. People are shocked when they hear of these things. We have to do better, and I think we all understand that.

In contrast, our adversaries clearly see value in prioritizing their nuclear programs. Our lack of focus on competing in the nuclear arena puts us in danger of falling even further behind, and puts our nation and our allies at risk. China is expanding its military capabilities faster than any country in history. Its investments are shifting the global balance of power, and based on recent testimony, China's nuclear modernization continues to outpace even our worst predictions. Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and his reckless threats of nuclear escalation have shattered the security of Europe, and, for the first time in decades, forced Americans to face the possibility of a nuclear attack. Not to be outdone, North Korea is on a record pace for missile testing, and is reportedly preparing for another attack.

Unfortunately, the administration's fiscal year 2023 Department of Defense [DOD] Budget doesn't give DOD and NNSA the real growth that they need to meet the National Defense Strategy. And while we agreed on real growth last year, inflation has completely destroyed that. In fact, we have a letter from the Administratorthat says our plutonium pit production project is underfunded by $500 million. This is the letter, and I want to make this a part of the record at this point. In fact, we feel that this tells the whole story.

I look forward to your testimony on these issues and the rest of the Department of Energy's national security priorities. Mr. Chairman.