Budget & Policy

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died early Tuesday at age 65 after a medical emergency Monday night caused him to go into emergency surgery, Butte County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The sheriff’s office said LaMalfa died during the medical procedure, but the office is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of death. […]

President Donald Trump wants to see deployment of a nuclear power reactor on the moon as soon as 2030, according to a recent executive action. In the Dec. 18 executive order 14369, “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, the Trump White House called for Americans to return to the moon by 2028 through NASA’s Artemis Program, a […]

This week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which among other things would lift the Illinois moratorium on large new nuclear reactors.  The act, Senate Bill 25, was passed by the state House by a 70 – 37 vote and the state Senate by a 37 – […]

President Donald Trump wants to see deployment of a nuclear power reactor on the moon by 2030, according to a recent executive action. In the Dec. 18 executive order 14369, “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, the Trump White House called for Americans to return to the moon by 2028 through NASA’s Artemis Program, a program centered […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nuclear power’s expansion in the United States hinges upon a strong and independent regulator, witnesses told a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday morning. Democratic lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy subcommittee expressed misgivings about nuclear safety and the independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) under President Donald Trump’s White […]

A three-bill minibus appropriations bill that includes fiscal 2026 funds for Energy and Water development, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy passed the House floor 397-28 Thursday. The bill was released by top appropriators in the Senate and House Monday on both sides of the aisle. Congress has until Jan. 30 to […]

Two senior Democrats in the House of Representatives, one in Maryland and one in California, have announced plans to retire once their current term is up. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the member of House Democratic leadership who has served in Congress for 45 years, announced this week he would not seek re-election. Meanwhile, Rep. Julia […]

A three-bill minibus appropriations bill that includes funds for Energy and Water development, including $25.4 billion to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), passed the House floor 397-28 Thursday. The bill was released by top appropriators in the Senate and House Monday on both sides of the aisle. Congress has until Jan. 30 to either […]

A three-bill minibus appropriations bill that includes funds for Energy and Water development, including $25.4 billion to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), entered debate Wednesday on the House floor. The bill was released by top appropriators in the Senate and House Monday on both sides of the aisle. Congress has until Jan. 30 to […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nuclear power’s expansion in the United States hinges upon a strong and independent regulator, witnesses told a House subcommittee Wednesday morning. Democratic lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Energy expressed misgivings about nuclear safety and the independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) under President Donald Trump’s White House.  […]

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died early Tuesday at age 65 after a medical emergency Monday night caused him to go into emergency surgery, Butte County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The sheriff’s office said LaMalfa died during the medical procedure, but the office is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of death. […]

Nuclear industry officials and the director of the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory are scheduled to testify before a House Energy & Commerce Committee subcommittee Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. House Energy & Commerce’s subcommittee on energy will convene a hearing at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time Wednesday on “American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the […]

President Donald Trump wants to see deployment of a nuclear power reactor on the moon by 2030, according to a recent executive action. In the Dec. 18 executive order 14369, “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, the Trump White House called for Americans to return to the moon by 2028 through NASA’s Artemis Program, a program centered […]

After decades of work, the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., finally converted some liquid radioactive waste into glass – and some of the most senior people in DOE’s weapons complex left government service this year. These are a couple of the big stories of 2025 affecting DOE’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management […]

The fiscal year 2026 defense authorization bill is giving the Navy some flexibility in how it buys Columbia-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). The compromise bill, signed by President Donald Trump Dec. 18, allows the Navy to procure up to five Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines starting next year.  The explanatory statement released with the bill […]

In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second administration, he established himself as an unabashed nuclear energy advocate – both promoting new projects and remaking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in an effort to speed up approvals. While history will tell if 2025 spawns a full-scale nuclear resurgence, it is indisputable that there have […]

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s four nominees for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors in a 53 – 43 vote on Dec. 18. The confirmation of Arthur Graham, Mitch Graves, Jeff Hagood and Randall Jones were among a large bloc of other Trump nominees who were awaiting confirmations. The four confirmed […]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) wrote a letter Dec. 16 to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright asking DOE to review the need and scope of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) pit production program. Warren and Garamendi are both members of their respective chambers’ Armed Services Committees and of the bicameral […]

Amid an administration change, government layoffs and a lapse in funding that led to the longest government shutdown in history, here were the top stories in 2025 involving nuclear deterrence and the National Nuclear Security Administration. To kick off the year in January, shortly after the conclusion of now-Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s Senate confirmation hearing […]

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s four nominees for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors in a 53 – 43 vote on Dec. 18. The confirmation of Arthur Graham, Mitch Graves, Jeff Hagood and Randall Jones were among a large bloc of other Trump nominees who were awaiting confirmations. The four confirmed […]

President Donald Trump Thursday signed the $901 billion 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law that would allow nearly $26 billion in funding to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). That is the highest authorization limit yet for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, and $100 million more than […]

President Donald Trump Thursday signed the $901 billion 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law that would allow nearly $26 billion in funding to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). That is the highest authorization limit yet for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, and $100 million more than […]

Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation this week to formally establish the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy. The bill comes a month after DOE released reorganization plans for its agency and included an Office of Fusion. The legislation looks to codify DOE’s plans and “urge DOE to move […]

President Donald Trump Thursday signed the $901 billion 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law that would allow nearly $26 billion in funding to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). That is the highest authorization limit yet for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, and $100 million more than […]

The Senate has confirmed Douglas Weaver to fill the final vacancy on the five-member Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a 71 – 29 vote Wednesday evening. The confirmation vote came after the Senate invoked cloture on Weaver’s nomination in a 69 – 27 vote. Weaver will now serve the remainder of former commissioner Annie Caputo’s term, […]

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who used his post on the House Appropriations Committee to push for remediation of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, said Wednesday he will not stand for re-election. Newhouse, who also holds the unofficial status as perhaps one of President Donald Trump’s least favorite House members, made the announcement on his […]

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who used his post on the House Appropriations Committee to push for remediation of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, said Wednesday he will not stand for re-election. Newhouse, who also holds the unofficial status as perhaps one of President Donald Trump’s least favorite House members, made the announcement on his […]

The Senate Wednesday, in a 77-20 vote, passed the $901 billion 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow nearly $26 billion in funding to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk, where he has indicated he plans to sign it into law. The annual NDAA, […]

Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) have introduced legislation this week to formally establish the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy. House Fusion Energy Caucus co-chairs Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) introduced a companion bill in the House this week as well. The bill looks […]

The Senate is expected to vote on the confirmation of Douglas Weaver to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week.  Senate Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) filed a cloture motion on the nomination of Weaver on Dec. 11. Additionally in the motion, several other nominees are to be considered, including the four Tennessee […]