Congressional hearings, useful clips, testimony, & related articles
(scroll down for clips from previous years)
updated 17 Apr 2024

2024

Senate
      • Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) to receive testimony on the DOE/NNSA Atomic Energy Defense Activities in Review of the FY 2025 Defense Authorization Act and the Future Years Defense Program, Apr 17, 2023
      — Senator Angus King questioning NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby (video)
      — DOE Sec Jennifer Granholm & NNSA Admin Jill Hruby's written statement

House
      • House Appropriations Committee, Energy and Water Development, (HEWD) and Related Agencies, Member Day, Apr 10, 2024
       — Congressman Garamendi testimony (video)

2023 (for FY 2024)
Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Strategic Forces Subcommittee, hearing to receive testimony from NNSA Admin Hruby, Dep. Admin. for Defense Programs, NNSA, on the DOE's Atomic Energy Defense Activities and DoD Nuclear Weapons Programs in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2024 and the Future Years Defense Program, Apr 18, 2023
video clips
          — Senator Warren questions NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby
          — Senator Fischer questions panel, including NNSA Dep Admin Dr. Marvin Adams

2022 (for FY 2023)
Senate
      • Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Strategic Forces Subcommittee, hearing to receive testimony from the Nuclear Weapons Council, May 4, 2022
          — transcript

      • Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Strategic Forces Subcommittee, hearing on DOE's atomic energy defense activities & DoD's nuclear weapons programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY 2023 & Future Years Defense Program, Apr 27, 2022
video clips
          — Senator King & Senator Fischer question NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby
          — Senator Warren questions NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby on plutonium pits

      • Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), nominations hearing, Dr. Marvin Adams Nominee to be Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs National Nuclear Security Administration, Mar 22, 2022
video clips
          — Senator Warren questions Dr. Adams
          — Senator Reed questions Dr. Adams

Dr. Marvin Adams statement and answers to questions
         — statement
         — answers to advance policy questions

2021 (for FY 2022)
Senate
      • Senate Armed Services Committee, Strategic Forces Subcommittee (SASC-SF) hearing on defense activities for FY 2022 & future years defense program, Jun 24, 2021(transcript)
video clips
          — Senators Reed & Inhofe & DOE Sec Granholm remarks & questions from both senators
          — Senator Fischer questions Verdon & Granholm on pits & possible delays for pit production, infrastructure issues
          — Senator Rounds questions Verdon on infrastructure, safety issues, & the pit production schedule
          — Senator Ernst questions Verdon on disposition of the MM3, GBSD, & supply chains
          — Senator Hawley questions Granholm on expanding the capacity of the Kansas City Nuclear Security Campus
related articles
          — US officials double down on push for nuclear modernization, Associated Press, Jun 25, 2021
          — Acting DOE Nuke Boss Won’t Play Down Pit Costs in Armed Services Hearing, Exchange Monitor, Jun 25, 2021

      • Senate Appropriations, Energy & Water Development Subcommittee (SEWD) hearing on FY 2022 budget for DOE/NNSA, Jun 23, 2021

      • SASC-SF hearing on the US nuclear deterrence policy & strategy, Jun 16, 2021 (transcript)
          — Statement by Lisa Gordon-Hagerty

      • SASC hearing on the nominations of Jill Hruby, et.al., May 27, 2021 (transcript)
related articles
          — Biden nuclear nominee would continue Trump-era plutonium pit production plans, Defense News, May 28, 2021
          — Savannah River pit production could miss 2030 target, says Biden nuke nominee, Aiken Standard, May 27, 2021

      • SASC-SF hearing on defense activities for FY 2022 & future years defense program, May 19, 2021 (transcript)
          — Charles Verdon's statement
          — Video clip of Verdon's statement re: 140 ppy
related article
          — Senators Probe Acting NNSA Chief About Livermore Pits, Foreign Uranium, Exchange Monitor, May 20, 2021

House
      • House Armed Services Committee, Strategic Forces Subcommittee (HASC-SF) hearing on the FY 22 budget request for nuclear forces, Jun 10, 2021
video clips
          — HASC-SF, Charles Verdon, NNSA, statement on plutonium & how many pits need to be manufactured
          — HASC-SF, Congressman Turner questions Verdon re: need for the SRPPF in addition to LANL
          — HASC-SF, Congressman Joe Wilson questions Verdon & Gen Dawkins re: Critical Decision 1 for SRPPF
          — HASC-SF Chair Congressman Cooper questions Verdon re: meeting the 80 pit requirement by 2030
related articles
          — Plutonium pit production in SC might happen in 2035. The target was 2030, Aiken Standard, Jun 12, 2021
          — NNSA Can’t Make 80-Pit Production Deadline, Acting Administrator Says, Exchange Monitor, Jun 11, 2021

      • HASC-SF hearing on the FY22 strategic forces posture, Apr 21, 2021
          — Admiral Charles Richard,Commander United States Strategic Command testimony transcript
related article
          — Plutonium pit production expansion is essential, STRATCOM boss tells Congress, Aiken Standard, Apr 22, 2021

      • House Appropriations, Energy & Water Development Subcommittee (HEWD) hearing on FY 22 budget request for DOE, May 6, 2021
          — DOE Secretary Granholm, testimony and visuals
related article
          — Plutonium pit plan involving SC endorsed by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Aiken Standard, May 6, 2021

2020
video clip
      • HASC (full committee), FY 2021 NDAA, Chair's Mark: Congressman Cooper's amendment 266 re: independent cost estimate & study of the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF), Jul 1, 2020
              • Congressman Cooper's amendment text, Jul 1, 2020
              • Greg Mello's comment re: Congressman Cooper's amendment

2019
video clips (unless otherwise noted)
      • HASC-SF, Chairman Cooper, 95% continuity in mark, pit production at one site, not two, Jun 4, 2019

      • Congressman Garamendi, Nuclear Weapons Council, no justification has been given for 80 ppy, not even 40 ppy, extraordinarily expensive, Jun 4, 2019

      • SASC-SF, Senator Hawley, NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon Hagerty, 2 plutonium pit production sites, resiliency & redundency, May 8, 2019

      • SASC-SF, NNSA's Lisa Gordon Hagerty, plutonium pit production is our highest priority & LANL will remain the plutonium center of excellence for R&D, May 8, 2019

      • SASC-SF, Senator Heinrich threatens NNSA LGH, May 8, 2019

      • SASC-SF, Senator Heinrich, can't justify additional $14B, May 8, 2019

      • HASC-SF hearing, Apr 9, 2019 & SASC hearing, Mar 28, 2019 quotes & links

      • HASC-SF hearing, Apr 9, 2019 - transcript

      • HASC-SF, Congressman Garamendi rattles NNSA Gordon Hagerty re: pits & W87-1, Apr 9, 2019

      • SEWD, Senator Udall threatens NNSA Gordon Hagerty, also Senators Udall & Graham exchange, with Senator Feinstein at end, 20 min, Apr 3, 2019

      • SEWD, Senator Udall threatens DOE Secretary Perry, Mar 27, 2019

2017
video clip
      • Congressman Garamendi, Vice-Admiral Benedict, DOE Secretary Klotz, etc. re: Nuclear Weapons Council requested study on interoperable warhead (IW-1), May 25, 2017

2016
video clips
      • Congressman Garamendi amendment, final vote, May 25, 2016

      • Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) offers an amendment to cut funding for expansion of plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), May 24, 2016