Under the appropriations bill, the Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences will receive $286.6 million (after a 0.91 percent general rescission from an appropriated $289.2 million). The President had requested $428M, including $160M for the ITER project and $268M for the domestic fusion program. Congress appropriated $10.7M for "Enabling R&D for ITER" and $278.5M for the domestic program. Within the $278.5M, Congress earmarked $162.9M for fusion "science" (including $12.3M for "High Energy Density Physics"), $93.5M for "facility operations," and $22 M for "enabling R&D,"

The Congress specifically stated it was providing "$0 for the U.S. contribution to ITER." Subsequent press reports (see article posted at http://fire.pppl.gov) quote the President's science advisor, John Marburger, as saying, "I can't see the U.S. not living up to its (ITER) obligations. The department (of Energy) will have to use its money to stay in the project, so (the language) really just amounts to another earmark." Such Congressional language, however, usually is considered to have the force of law unless the Executive Branch goes back to Congress and requests a "reprogramming" of existing funds. The Congressional language accompanying the bill specifically states, "Funding may not be reprogrammed from other activities within Fusion Energy Sciences to restore the U.S. contribution to ITER."

Many other (non-fusion) projects and programs were slashed in the appropriations bill as Congress was forced to reduce the total price tag of the bill in the face of a veto threat from the President.

The bill also funds the inertial confinement fusion program within the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration. The bill provides $474.4M for that program, compared to $412.3M requested by the President. Increases above the President's request are provided to "accelerate target development and fabrication ($15M), high average power lasers ($14M), Naval Research Laboratory ($15M), University of Rochester ($9M),and Sandia National Laboratories Z Machine ($13M).