By KRWG News
New Mexico – The debt deal reached in Washington this week could impact future funding for New Mexico's nuclear labs.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Tuesday (http://bit.ly/qdnHB6) that the legislation raises the possibility of deep defense budget cuts and makes it unlikely that plans for a long-term increase in nuclear weapons spending will go forward.
That could impact the National Nuclear Security Administration, which got about $3 billion this year to support work at Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.
Security expert Baker Spring of the Heritage Foundation says it remains unclear whether the deal will mean cuts to nuclear projects at the labs. But he says the substantial increases that have been proposed appear vulnerable.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.