Included charts about plutonium pit spending with a short explanation
Current as of Aug 27, 2019

The first chart shows the history and Administration-proposed increases in "Plutonium Sustainment" spending nationwide. The bulk of the funds would be spent at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Savannah River Site (SRS).

The second chart compares the amounts requested each year since FY2017 (green bars, prepared under the Obama Administration). There were no future-year spending amounts specified in the first Trump request (FY2018, blue bars).

From the House version of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

(a) FINDING AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.—
    (1) FINDING.—Congress finds that a recent study by the Institute of Defense Analyses notes, ‘‘a key milestone will be achieving the Plutonium Sustainment Program goal of 30 pits per year at Los Alamos National Laboratory’’.
    (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that the National Nuclear Security Administration should prioritize achieving production of 30 pits per year [ppy] at Los Alamos National Laboratory and ensure that efforts to design and construct a second site do not divert resources, including personnel and funding, from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The House bill would cut FY2020 funding for any production capacity beyond 30 pits per year, lowering spending on Pu sustainment from the requested $712,440,000 to $471,309,000, a $241,131,000 (34%) cut.

The House Energy and Water Development (EWD) Appropriations bill cuts Pu sustainment in FY2020 by the same amount as the House NDAA. It weakens the strong management direction given in the FY19 NDAA but still directs NNSA to clean up its act somewhat. House Appropriators remain concerned with the lack of management structure and transparency in the huge Pu Sustainment program. They are silent about the overall strategy but imply support for the Armed Services approach quoted above.

Both bills have cleared the whole House.

The Senate version of the FY2020 NDAA Act fully funds Pu Sustainment and endorses an urgent two-site strategy. It has passed the whole Senate, along with a Heinrich-Graham amendment requiring an operational 80+ ppy production capacity by 2030.

There is as yet no Senate EWD bill.