Page "National Ignition Facility" Paragraph 46

Given the budget problems, the US Congress requested an independent review by the General Accounting Office ( GAO ).

They returned a highly critical report in August 2000 stating that the budget was likely $ 3. 9 billion, including R & D, and that the facility was unlikely to be completed anywhere near on time.

The report, " Management and Oversight Failures Caused Major Cost Overruns and Schedule Delays ," identified management problems for the overruns, and also criticized the program for failing to include a considerable amount of money dedicated to target fabrication in the budget, including it in operational costs instead of development.

A follow-up report the next year included all of these items, pushing the budget to $ 4. 2 billion, and the completion date to around 2008.