NNSA spends a lot of money on nuclear weapons & infrastructure. NNSA has requirements (similar to those of the Nunn-McCurdy Act) to formally notify Congress about cost overruns and assess the reasons for the overruns, but it hasn’t consistently done so. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Commuting can be a slog. One way NNSA can address recruitment & retention challenges at its labs is by making it easier to get to work, including by offering park-and-ride shuttles and public transit subsidies. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

In 2004 NNSA began planning the Uranium Processing Facility to replace Manhattan Project-era facilities at Y-12 in TN. Fast forward 21 years: UPF’s est. cost is up to nearly $10 billion and it’ll cost NNSA to keep using old facilities until UPF is complete. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

This morning @nytimes reported on radiological risks in Ukraine. We have a recent report on the range of nuclear security and safety risks related to the war in Ukraine. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

You wouldn’t think the cost of a fixed-price construction contract could increase—but hundreds of NNSA’s run over, to the tune of $37.5 million just in FY23. NNSA’s construction budget is always tight so unexpected increases mean delays for other projects. www.gao.gov/products/gao... #nukesky

Fusion is essential for powering the USS Enterprise—and, here on earth, for maintaining and modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile without explosive nuclear testing. NNSA operates 3 fusion facilities for these purposes. www.gao.gov/products/gao... #nukesky

DNFSB has been busy—in addition to independently overseeing health & safety protections at U.S. defense nuclear facilities, it has been improving its management and planning based on recommendations from GAO and others.

Or if you prefer…fission chips…as your main meal, check out our weapons Quick Look. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Cesium is so old school. There are much more cutting-edge ways to irradiate your shrimp. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

#nukesky When DOE’s Office of the Inspector General set up a division for auditing DOE’s largest contractors in 2021, it estimated it would cost ~$19 million/year to operate… but, as of 2025, the cost turns out to be more like $43.7 million.

NNSA struggles to identify the total costs of its nuclear weapons programs and compare costs across contractors, making it hard for Congress and the agency to oversee these costs. We’ve made numerous recommendations over the years to address this. #nukesky

#nukesky Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine amplified nuclear security and safety risks. In response, US agencies built on their decades-long nuclear security & safety efforts in the region, largely with supplemental appropriations.

Congress requires NNSA to report on risks facing its industrial base—its supply chain, ops & facilities, logistics & transport, & workforce. While NNSA has processes to manage these risks, it hasn’t communicated priorities or resource needs for doing so. #nukesky

Small business can involve big numbers. To comply with government contracting goals, NNSA reported awarding $16.8 billion in small business contracts from 2018-2022. But of that amount, more than $1 billion went to businesses that were not actually small. #nukesky

Nuclear weapons need chemical explosives, but NNSA’s supply chain for explosives is vulnerable to risks, like aging facilities, a changing regulatory environment, and budgetary constraints.

On the radio! #nukesky

Every two years, GAO releases its High Risk List – the areas of government most at risk for fraud, waste, abuse, or in need of major transformation. (And we’re the OGs on this subject – we’ve been providing this info to Congress since 1990.)

New today @GAO: To meet the challenges of its $200 billion nuclear modernization, NNSA conducted a study that identified areas for reform, such as project management & employee retention. NNSA took steps to implement these reforms, but cannot say whether they’re working. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

You’re busy people, #nukesky. We get that. To keep you up to date on all NNSA’s ongoing weapons work, we present our first “nuclear weapons quick look”—2-page overviews of all 6 of NNSA’s ongoing weapons modernization programs (and one that’s planned). www.gao.gov/products/gao...

The Office of Naval Reactors is building a new facility to manage spent fuel from warships at its facility in Idaho, but it’s already facing delays and over $2 billion in cost increases. #nukesky www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Increased costs, delays, and cancelations—Oh my! This can be the result of poor planning. DOE spends 10s of billions annually on contracts, so we looked into DOE’s planning for acquisitions. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

It’s great to be on Bluesky! I’ll be sharing GAO’s work on #nuclear cleanup & environmental liabilities. Please also welcome my colleague @nukeoversight.bsky.social, who manages other parts of GAO’s nuclear portfolio. And please add us to your nuclear starter packs! www.gao.gov/nuclear-wast...

Happy to be here, and looking forward to sharing GAO’s work on nuclear security.