Budget & Policy

The Professional Services Council (PSC), a trade association representing 400 federal contractors, wrote a letter Oct. 28 to Congressional leaders mourning the federal government shutdown, citing its effect on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) among other agencies. The letter, obtained by the Exchange Monitor, was addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate […]

The House Cleanup Caucus event scheduled for the evening of Nov. 4 at the House Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C. has been postponed, apparently due to the ongoing federal government shutdown,  The organizers announced the move Tuesday. No makeup date was announced in the emailed notice. The invitation-only gathering is hosted by the Energy Facility […]

A federal judge in Northern California has extended her earlier order that temporarily blocked the White House Office of Management and Budget from furloughing thousands of government employees, including many from the Department of Energy, during the shutdown, according to published reports. News outlets, including CNBC reported U.S. District Judge Susan Illston was issuing a […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) October 27: CANCELLED: The Congressional Nuclear Security Working Group is canceling for now the discussion on […]

House lawmakers condemned the furloughs of 1,400 of DOE’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) workers in a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and NNSA administrator Brandon Williams. “As Secretary Wright noted in his press availability in Las Vegas, furloughing NNSA employees has never happened before. Government shutdowns, however, have occurred throughout the […]

The Congressional Nuclear Security Working Group and Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center (ANWA) postponed a Monday meeting at the Capitol with Brandon Williams, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration. “Due to the federal government shutdown, the planned Discussion with The Honorable Brandon Williams and Dr. Richard Tighe [CEO of Consolidated Nuclear Security, the […]

A Senate vote to move forward on fiscal year 2026 defense appropriations legislation failed last Thursday, as most Democrats opposed supporting the measure amid the ongoing government shutdown. “We want to appropriate beyond just defense. We want a broader package [of spending bills] and to have clarity from our president, the House and the Senate […]

Nearly 60% of U.S. adults favor building more nuclear power plants, the Pew Research Center found in a recent survey. While nuclear power is more popular among Republicans by 17%, this is the first time Republicans and Democrats both hold a favorable outlook on nuclear power, Pew said in a report released this month.  Pew’s […]

The current administration needs to put together a national independent waste management organization and invest in new nuclear disposal technology to get national waste management going in the right direction, Rod Baltzer said in a Wednesday webinar. San Diego-based waste management coalition Spent Fuel Solutions held a webinar with Baltzer, who is U.S. Nuclear Industry […]

President Donald Trump’s four Tennessee Valley Authority board of director nominees testified this week before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Nominees Arthur Graham, Mitch Graves, Jeff Hagood and Randall Jones, all nominated in July, told the Senate committee that nuclear power, in particular small modular reactors (SMRs), will play a big role […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) furloughed around 1,400 employees, 80% of its workforce, with only 375 exempted as critical personnel that will still come into work Monday. “Today, roughly 80% of the National Nuclear Security Administration is being furloughed,” Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Monday. […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, in a press conference Monday in Nevada., said all of the federal employees at Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) had been furloughed. Wright spoke in two press conferences in Nevada Monday, one being in Las Vegas and one being at the physical site of NNSS in Mercury, Nev. north of […]

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) reintroduced a bill last week that would order the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the viability of domestic nuclear fuel recycling. In the Senate bill, Advancing Research in Nuclear Fuel Recycling Act of 2025, the energy secretary is instructed to analyze the practicality, benefits, costs and […]

Satellite imagery of Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath’s new construction sparks curiosity about whether there are new U.S. nuclear weapons in the U.K., the Federation of American Scientists said. According to the Federation, U.S. budget documents show that the upgrades to security at RAF Lakenheath are to “accomodate a nuclear mission,” which “introduce more questions […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) will lose some of its watchdog powers but will retain others, even while down to one member, the departed acting chair of the board Thomas Summers said last week. This is the second article resulting from Exchange Monitor’s interview last week with Summers prior to his last day […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) will lose some of its watchdog powers but will retain others, even while down to one member, the departed acting chair of the board Thomas Summers said last week. This is the second article resulting from Exchange Monitor’s interview last week with Summers prior to his last day […]

Following published reports that Preston Wells Griffith was being forced out as undersecretary of energy, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced Friday the appointment of Alex Fitzsimmons as acting undersecretary. Fitzsimmons, like Griffith, served in the first Donald Trump administration. Fitzsimmons has gained considerable clout so far at DOE under Wright. Already this year, Fitzsimmons […]

United Steelworkers (USW) representatives at the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth and Paducah Sites say they are troubled by lack of information coming from DOE and its contractors during the government shutdown. In an online conversation Wednesday, union representatives told Exchange Monitor they are reaching out to elected officials from Kentucky and Ohio about confusion and […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) officially announced Saturday Oct. 18 that Acting Chair Thomas Summers has ended his service with the agency following the expiration of his five-year term. “Mr. Summers served the board with distinction, most recently as acting chairman, leading the agency during a period of significant transition and sustained operational […]

The story “NNSA furloughs 80% of workforce, focus on keeping Pantex and Y-12 open” [Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, Oct. 21, 2025] should have said a source told the Exchange Monitor Monday the current focus is keeping the Y-12 National Security Complex and Pantex Plant running since both sites run out of funding first.  “The Y-12 […]

With a new wave of advanced reactors on the way, the United States needs a strategy to utilize nuclear fuel recycling, former Department of Energy assistant secretary of Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said in an opinion piece. “As a former assistant secretary for nuclear energy, I recently watched my successor, Ted Garrish, confirmed by the […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, in a press conference Monday in Nevada., said all of the federal employees at Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) had been furloughed. Wright spoke in two press conferences in Nevada Monday, one being in Las Vegas and one being at the physical site of NNSS in Mercury, Nev. north of […]

Nearly 60% of U.S. adults favor building more nuclear power plants, Pew Research Center found in a recent survey. While nuclear power is more popular among Republicans by 17%, this is the first time Republicans and Democrats both hold a favorable outlook on nuclear power,  Pew said in a report released this month.  Pew’s survey […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) officially announced Saturday Oct. 18 that Acting Chair Thomas Summers has ended his service with the agency following the expiration of his five-year term. “Mr. Summers served the board with distinction, most recently as acting chairman, leading the agency during a period of significant transition and sustained operational […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) furloughed around 1,400 employees, 80% of its workforce, with only 375 exempted as critical personnel that will still come into work Monday. A source told the Exchange Monitor Monday the current focus is keeping the Y-12 National Security Complex and Pantex Plant running since both sites run out of […]

Following published reports that Preston Wells Griffith was being forced out as undersecretary of energy, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced Friday the appointment of Alex Fitzsimmons as acting undersecretary. Fitzsimmons, like Griffith, served in the first Donald Trump administration. Fitzsimmons has gained considerable clout so far at DOE under Wright. Already this year, Fitzsimmons […]

The federal shutdown enters its 20th day on Monday Oct. 20 and with no breakthrough expected soon, the Department of Energy has called off next week’s meeting of advisory board leaders for the Office of Environmental Management (EM). In an announcement emailed to Exchange Monitor late Friday, DOE said the EM Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) October 22: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a business meeting where they’ll consider S.2130, […]

A Senate vote to move forward on fiscal year 2026 defense appropriations legislation failed last Thursday, as most Democrats opposed supporting the measure amid the ongoing government shutdown. “We want to appropriate beyond just defense. We want a broader package [of spending bills] and to have clarity from our president, the House and the Senate […]

Several state governors have teamed up on a coordinated approach to speed development of advanced nuclear  projects. Working through the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), 11 states have issued a request for information (RFI) to create a scalable and rapid approach to deploying new nuclear reactors. The deadline for responding to the Advanced […]