Budget & Policy

Texas, home to commercial and government nuclear facilities, must wait until May to learn what Republican will square off against upstart Democrat James Talarico in November’s U.S. Senate election. Longtime GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn appears to have edged out state Attorney General Ken Paxton and finished far ahead of Rep. Wesley Hunt in Tuesday’s […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will hold a press conference at Holtec International’s shuttered Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y. on Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. While the Department of Energy’s Wednesday media advisory did not provide the specifics of Wright’s visit, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) will also attend the press conference. Lawler […]

Texas, home to commercial and government nuclear facilities, must wait until May to learn what Republican will square off against upstart Democrat James Talarico in November’s U.S. Senate election. Longtime GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn appears to have edged out state Attorney General Ken Paxton and finished far ahead of Rep. Wesley Hunt in Tuesday’s […]

The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee voted largely along party lines Wednesday morning to advance President Donald Trump’s nominees for under-secretary of energy as well as director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) . Both Trump nominees Kyle Haustveit for under secretary of energy as well as Steve Pearce for BLM […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy said Tuesday it selected 46 domestic nuclear energy-related research projects to share a total of $52.8 million. The Office of Nuclear Energy said in its press release the awards support technology development and early career faculty research activities that contribute to President Donald Trump administration’s nuclear power […]

Cumulative cost and schedule overruns have increased since 2023 for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) portfolio of major projects in the execution phase, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). As of June 2025, the NNSA’s portfolio’s cumulative cost overrun has increased from $2.1 billion in 2023 to $4.8 billion, the […]

The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the nomination of Steve Pearce, a former member of Congress from New Mexico, to head the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Pearce, a Republican, served multiple terms representing New Mexico’s second congressional district, which includes Carlsbad and Eddy County where […]

Florida International University (FIU) will receive $20 million in financial assistance from the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management to support advanced nuclear cleanup technology, DOE said Friday. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced the five-year grant benefitting FIU’s Applied Research Center in a Feb. 27 press release. The five-year deal that starts Sunday […]

An article in the Feb. 26 edition of Weapons Complex Morning Briefing should have reported that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) memo required modifications to reach 100 plutonium pit capacity by the end of 2028 and 60 pits per year afterward. Additionally, the NNSA responded to Exchange Monitor’s queries by the deadline the communications […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, formerly the Loan Programs Office, has awarded a $26.5 billion loan to Southern Company to invest in its energy infrastructure.  Southern Company said in its Wednesday press release that the term is nearly 30 years of loans and will be split among two utility subsidiaries, Georgia […]

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) unveiled plans for a new nuclear power siting study during his Feb. 17 State of the State address. Evers announced the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin–Madison’s nuclear engineering department will lead the study. “We’re also continuing to explore new ways for Wisconsin to be a leader […]

The Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Advisory Board is being discontinued after 30 years, the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) said Tuesday. Members of the Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB) were recently informed that DOE during the second Donald Trump administration has decided “to sunset the board,” ECA said in a member email Tuesday. The EMAB […]

The Air Force faces software design challenges for Northrop Grumman’s future LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). “Sentinel is software-intensive, and development progress remains slower than anticipated,” the new GAO two-page ‘national security snapshot‘ on Sentinel said. “These delays have raised concerns from program officials about the prime […]

The Pentagon will now look to spend over $150 billion in reconciliation funds this fiscal year, submitting a plan to Congress outlining efforts to advance the Golden Dome missile defense project and other nuclear activities. The plan represents a large increase from the $113 billion in reconciliation funds the Donald Trump administration had originally projected […]

The Pentagon’s $150.5 billion in fiscal 2026 reconciliation funding has $4.5 billion to accelerate production of the Air Force B-21 Raider stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman said Monday at the Air & Space Forces Association annual warfare symposium. The Air Force’s plans have called for 100 B-21s, yet that number might increase to 145 or more, […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, formerly the Loan Programs Office, has awarded a $26.5 billion loan to Southern Company to invest in its energy infrastructure.  Southern Company said in its Wednesday press release that the term is nearly 30 years of loans and will be split among two utility subsidiaries, Georgia […]

President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address was scheduled to begin after the deadline for Morning Briefing, but coverage of the speech can be found now on the Exchange Monitor website. If you access it online, don’t worry. The coverage of presidential comments on nuclear energy, data centers and international security will also […]

The Pentagon will now look to spend over $150 billion in reconciliation funds this fiscal year, submitting a plan to Congress outlining efforts to advance the Golden Dome missile defense project and other nuclear activities. The plan represents a large increase from the $113 billion in reconciliation funds the Donald Trump administration had originally projected […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  February  23: Earnings call: BWXT will discuss quarterly financial results in an earnings call that starting at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.  26: Earnings call: NuScale Power will discuss quarterly financial results in a call that starts at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. March:  […]

Given limited staff, the Department of Energy needs a management plan for projects run through DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week. OCED was created in 2021 to manage DOE’s clean energy demonstrations, including nuclear, technology-based demonstration projects. The subagency has a framework that includes a phased […]

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed an executive order this week that will focus on new nuclear generation with a goal of adding at least 2 gigawatts or 2,000 megawatts. According to the Wednesday order, Pritzker called for the Illinois Power Agency and Illinois Commerce Commission to consult with other agencies and issue a notice […]

Two Washington state lawmakers have introduced legislation that requests the governor pursue the Department of Energy’s state nuclear lifecycle campus inquiry. The bill, House Joint Memorial 4016, was initiated by state Reps. Stephanie Barnard (R) and Mark Klicker (R) on Feb. 14.   The two lawmakers represent districts not far from DOE’s largest nuclear cleanup site […]

Sam Randazzo, an Ohio energy regulatory chief who took his own life in 2024 after being indicted in a FirstEnergy bribery scandal, previously worked for FirstEnergy and a coalition of businesses at the same time when they were negotiating with each other, according to recent court testimony. This came during February testimony from former FirstEnergy […]

Navy Secretary John Phelan on Thursday hinted the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget request will more than double the 17 ships funded in the fiscal 2026 defense appropriations law, with a specific focus on auxiliary and support vessels. “So I can’t talk a lot about the ‘27 budget. What I’ll say is if you look […]

The path to achieve the White House’s call for a $1.5 trillion defense topline in 2027 appears murkier now after President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the prospects of a second reconciliation bill. After Republicans included $150 billion for defense in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signs pointed to a push […]

The path to achieve the White House’s call for a $1.5 trillion defense topline in 2027 appears murkier now after President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the prospects of a second reconciliation bill. After Republicans included $150 billion for defense in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signs pointed to a push […]

Given limited staff, the Department of Energy needs a management plan for projects run through DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week. OCED was created in 2021 to manage DOE’s clean energy, including nuclear, technology-based demonstration projects. The subagency has a framework that includes a phased project […]

Navy Secretary John Phelan on Thursday hinted the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget request will more than double the 17 ships funded in the fiscal 2026 defense appropriations law, with a specific focus on auxiliary and support vessels. “So I can’t talk a lot about the ‘27 budget. What I’ll say is if you look […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  February  17: Earnings call: : Leidos will discuss quarterly earnings results in a conference call with analysts starting at 8 a.m. ET.  17: Earnings call: Fluor will discuss quarterly financial results in a call with analysts starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. […]

Sens. James Risch (R-Idaho) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) reintroduced a bill this week to reduce financial risk for new nuclear projects.  The 18-page Accelerating Reliable Capacity (ARC) Act establishes a risk reduction program for new reactors by placing safeguards against potential costs through financing terms and a limited federal cost share, according to the senators’ […]