Congress has approved money for a controversial new low-yield nuclear warhead after lawmakers passed an annual spending package on Thursday.
The legislation, along with $65 million for the warhead called the W76-2, passed the House in a final 377-20 vote and is headed to President Trump’s desk for signature.
The Senate on Wednesday passed the package, which also includes military construction money, in an overwhelming 92-5 vote on Wednesday. The bill includes funding for the Energy Department and is separate from the overall defense bill, which is still being debated.
Democrats put up strong resistance to the Pentagon’s plan to acquire another smaller nuclear weapon to counter Russia and worry it could increase the chance of a nuclear conflict.
The funding is a victory for the military, Trump administration and congressional Republicans who believe a smaller warhead that can be fired from submarines will deter Moscow from using its own tactical nuclear weapons.
The Pentagon has warned Russia may use a strategy of dramatically escalating a limited conflict with nuclear weapons to win an immediate victory. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was privately warned by Russia that it would not hesitate to use the weapons on NATO if a war broke out in the Baltics in northeastern Europe.
The minibus also includes $11 billion for nuclear weapons programs within the National Nuclear Security Administration, an increase of $458 million from this year. The NNSA is under the Energy Department.
