The US Congress is negotiating a new bill that proposes removing the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), tasked with overseeing the US nuclear stockpile, from being under the direct control of the Energy Department of the White House. If the bill passes, the NNSA will become an independent body.
The initiative, which seeks to strip the White House of control over the American nuclear deterrent, has been criticized by Energy Secretary Rick Perry and congressmen from both parties, but attempts to derail the bill have so far failed. The spokeswoman for the energy secretary stated that the bill poses a threat to US national security.
Trump has vowed to boost the US nuclear capabilities, noting that the country's nuclear weapons haven't been modernized in a long time, rendering them outdated. The president promised to launch a program aimed at upgrading the US nuclear arsenal and developing new nuclear weapons, including with a low nuclear yield.
