Budget & Policy

Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voiced concerns Wednesday on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s independence and its ability to ensure nuclear safety. In particular, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked if any commissioners feared being fired by President Donald Trump’s administration if they deemed a reactor design unsafe, or failed to make a […]

In a nail-biting finish, the House passed its version of the fiscal 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations bill on the floor Thursday 214-213 after two days of debate and amendments. The four Republicans that voted against the bill were Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Tom McClintock (Calif.) and Scott Perry (Penn.). Not a […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has tackled all but a few third-party recommendations to improve its culture over the past decade but suffers from a depleted board, according to a new report.  Progress is tough with the five-person board probably slipping to one member, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its report […]

In a nail-biting finish, the House passed its version of the fiscal 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations bill on the floor Thursday 214-213 after two days of debate and amendments. The House bill would curb Department of Energy nuclear remediation funding by about three-quarters of a billion dollars.  The four Republicans that voted against the […]

The Senate voted Thursday to proceed with floor debate on its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with the House to follow next week. The Senate voted 84-to-14 on the motion to invoke cloture, or to initiate the process for a debate on the bill, Tuesday evening. The chamber voted 83-13 to […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has tackled all but a few third-party recommendations to improve its culture over the past decade but suffers from a depleted board, according to a new report.  Progress is tough with the five-person board probably slipping to one member, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its report […]

In a nail-biting finish, the House passed its version of the fiscal 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations bill on the floor Thursday 214-213 after two days of debate and amendments. The four Republicans that voted against the bill were Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Tom McClintock (Calif.) and Scott Perry (Penn.). Not a […]

Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voiced concerns Wednesday on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s independence and its ability to ensure nuclear safety. In particular, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked if any commissioners feared being fired by President Donald Trump’s administration if they deemed a reactor design unsafe, or failed to make a […]

The Senate voted Tuesday to proceed with floor debate on its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week, with the House to follow next week. The Senate voted 84-to-14 on the motion to invoke cloture, or to initiate the process for a debate on the bill, Tuesday evening. This means the […]

The House Rules Committee Tuesday started taking up rules for debating the House Energy & Water Appropriations bill for fiscal 2026. The measure (H.R. 4553) that passed the House Appropriations Committee in July would provide more than $25 billion for DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) with more money for weapons stockpile modernization and nuclear […]

Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will testify before a Senate oversight hearing Wednesday morning, amid an ongoing shakeup at the agency. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing, will be held at 10 a.m. Eastern Time in Room 562 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building, will feature Commissioners Bradley Crowell, Matthew Marzano […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:   September 10: Hybrid meeting: The DOE Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada National Security Site meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. 16: Meeting: The […]

Three House Democrats have penned a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright requesting information on recent interactions between the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over agency roles in the nuclear sector. Reps. Diane DeGette (D-Colo.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote […]

WASHINGTON, DC — Nuclear energy is being pushed by the Donald Trump administration, but the effort needs a strong workforce and policy behind it, authors of a new report said here Wednesday.  The working group held a panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  to discuss the report “How America Can Achieve […]

A provision in the Senate’s version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could protect employees in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the NDAA included a section that, if included in the eventual conference version with the House […]

Laura McGill, director of Sandia National Laboratories, said Monday that she anticipates “no further job losses” due to Sandia’s headcount already being pared by about 400 this fiscal year, according to local publication Source NM. McGill, who took over as director in May, discussed layoffs with New Mexico lawmakers at the Science Technology and Telecommunications […]

The Department of Energy’s former chief of staff during President Joe Biden’s administration last week announced the formation of a new DOE alumni network. The group, which will hire an executive director, is being created following “hundreds of survey responses and many dozens of conversations” with ex-DOE feds, former DOE chief of staff Tarak Shah, […]

Tim Walsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management, has taken a DOE adviser job while he awaits a Senate confirmation vote. “Mr. Walsh will begin working in the Office of Science in the coming weeks as a senior advisor,” a DOE spokesperson said by email Wednesday […]

WASHINGTON, DC — Nuclear energy is being pushed by the Donald Trump administration, but the effort needs a strong workforce and policy behind it, authors of a new report said here Wednesday.  The working group held a panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  to discuss the report “How America Can Achieve […]

Laura McGill, director of Sandia National Laboratories, said Monday that she anticipates “no further job losses” due to Sandia’s headcount already being pared by about 400 this fiscal year, according to local publication Source NM. McGill, who took over as director in May, discussed layoffs with New Mexico lawmakers at the Science Technology and Telecommunications […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 10: Hybrid meeting: The DOE Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada National Security Site meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. 24: National Cleanup Workshop, […]

The Department of Energy’s former chief of staff during President Joe Biden’s administration last week announced the formation of a new DOE alumni network. The group, which will hire an executive director, is being created following “hundreds of survey responses and many dozens of conversations” with ex-DOE feds, former DOE chief of staff Tarak Shah, […]

A provision in the Senate’s version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could protect employees in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the NDAA included a section that, if included in the eventual conference version with the House […]

Three House Democrats have penned a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright requesting information on recent interactions between the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over agency roles in the nuclear sector. Reps. Diane DeGette (D-Colo.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote […]

Bechtel chief operating officer and president Craig Albert recently wrote an opinion piece in The Hill outlining the importance of executing on the current nuclear push in the United States. In light of President Donald Trump’s administration issuing four nuclear-related executive orders, a real push for nuclear energy is on the horizon due to growing […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 10: Hybrid meeting: The DOE Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada National Security Site meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. 24: National Cleanup Workshop, […]

The Department of Energy announced Tuesday it has selected 11 nuclear projects to partake in a pilot program to streamline the deployment of advanced reactors. In the DOE’s Tuesday press release, the agency listed these 10 companies: Aalo Atomics, based in Austin, Texas Antares Nuclear, based in Redondo Beach, Calif. Atomic Alchemy, based in Idaho […]

Amentum, a major contractor for the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, has seen little impact so far from cost-cutting efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the company said last week. “Although a limited number of our contracts for the U.S. government have been affected by DOGE and other changes in […]

Disagreement between the Energy and Water subcommittee chair and ranking member over the topline of their appropriations bill has led to it not being released yet, according to an article by Politico E&E News. The Senate has not yet brought a version of the bill to even a subcommittee level markup. The article said the […]

Reform at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is necessary but it must be done without compromising its independence, a Washington D.C.-based think tank wrote in a  July 31 commentary. Former NRC chair Stephen Burns contributed to the piece by Third Way, a national think tank focused on policy and politics. Burns recently spoke at a House […]