Budget & Policy

SAVANNAH, GA – The Supreme Court will probably rule by July 3 on whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authority to license privately-held interim storage facilities, a leading nuclear industry lawyer said during the 19th Radwaste Summit. That was the assessment offered Tuesday by Michael McBride, a partner with Van Ness Feldman during the opening […]

House defense appropriators Monday released their $831.5 billion fiscal 2026 defense spending bill as the White House has yet to submit a detailed budget request. The bill aligns with the administration’s plan to factor in reconciliation funds to achieve a $1 trillion total topline. The full House Appropriations Committee will consider the legislation this week, […]

Secretary of energy Chris Wright said in testimony at Congress Tuesday that there should be “clarity” on the reorganization and workforce shrinking at the Department of Energy. “The Department of Energy is filled with a bunch of tremendous, hardworking, committed men and women trying to better the direction for our country,” Wright said at a […]

The Donald Trump administration’s nuclear executive orders are a “significant step forward” for accelerated nuclear deployment, but could undermine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an American Nuclear Society expert group said recently. On May 23, the Trump administration released a handful of executive orders to speed up new reactor licensing and construction and generally bolster the […]

SAVANNAH, GA.— Exchange Monitor’s 19th annual Radwaste Summit kicks off here Tuesday with discussions on expanding nuclear energy generation, a priority with the White House, while addressing spent fuel issues. This year’s conference starts at 2 p.m. Eastern Time with an introduction by senior nuclear safety consultant Larry Camper followed by a panel discussion on […]

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on June 2 abruptly canceled an industry summit for the Golden Dome air and missile defense initiative.  The summit was set to occur in downtown Huntsville, Ala., on June 11. MDA said that “an announcement will be made on SAM.gov if/when a new date and location are planned.”  In a […]

The House energy and commerce energy subcommittee will hear testimony Tuesday on the Department of Energy’s fiscal 2026 budget from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. This will be Wright’s third hearing on the DOE budget, with the first one taking place with the House appropriations energy and water subcommittee and the second taking place with […]

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on June 5 that the Trump administration’s detailed fiscal year 2026 budget request will likely not be available for “several more weeks.”  While the White House has put forth a skinny budget outline and an appendix with additional topline details it has yet […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: June  10-12: Exchange Monitor Publications and Forums. 19th Annual RadWaste Summit. The DeSoto Hotel, 15 E Liberty, Savannah, Savannah, Ga. No remote access. Agenda and registration online. 12: San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel Regular Meeting. The virtual meeting […]

With an eye toward growing nuclear energy dominance by Russia and China, a senate bill aimed at boosting U.S. leadership in exporting and financing civilian nuclear technology headed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a hearingJune 5. If eventually passed,the Nuclear Energy Act would create a new office under the National Energy Dominance Council […]

A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives would require the U.S. representatives at the World Bank to advocate for increased funding for civilian nuclear energy projects, and encourage the creation of a fund at the global development banks dedicated to financing such projects.   The International Nuclear Energy Financing Act of 2025, introduced in […]

As expected, President Donald Trump May 23 signed a set of executive orders designed to speed licensing of nuclear power reactors, both commercially and on federal installations, limit review by an independent nuclear regulator and beef up  the industry’s U.S. industrial base. Here is a thumbnail overview of each of the May 23 orders.  Overhauling […]

The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office in New Mexico, which oversees the nation’s disposal site for defense-related transuranic waste, would undergo one of the larger Environmental Management spending cuts in fiscal 2026, according to recent administration data. Carlsbad, in charge of the Office of Environmental Management (EM) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), would receive […]

Despite recent executive orders to speed up nuclear deployment, the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy would see a sizable reduction under the White House’s fiscal 2026 budget request. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)  on May 30 released its 1,220 paged technical supplement to its budget request for fiscal 2026, […]

Senate Armed Services committee chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released legislative text to the House-passed reconciliation bill Tuesday that would seek $96 million for classified nuclear deterrence programs. The $96 million is a $74 million increase from the House of Representatives version of the bill, passed in May with a razor-thin majority. It is part of […]

Opportunities for nuclear deployment are available, but the extent of the industry’s expansion remains to be seen, nuclear insiders said during a Columbia University webinar. Former deputy secretary of Joe Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) Dave Turk led a webinar on Tuesday on the Donald Trump administration’s May 23 nuclear industry-based executive orders. Turk was […]

The Donald Trump administration this week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and prevent lower courts from holding up White House efforts to downsize and reorganize much of the federal government. “This court recently intervened to stop a district court from undoing the effects of the lawful large-scale termination of probationary government employees.” […]

Ukraine’s Pavutina–“Spider Web”–operation points to budget decisions ahead for the U.S. Air Force in hardening its bases in the United States and abroad, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where analysts have pointed to the significant kamikaze drone threat. More than 100 small quadcopter kamikaze drones hidden in trucks took off on cue on Sunday to destroy […]

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request is seeking $45 million for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), which is 7% more than the $42 million enacted for fiscal 2025. “This increase to safety oversight is imperative for DNFSB to keep pace with NNSA’s [the National Nuclear Security Administration] significantly increased weapons production schedule […]

The Donald Trump administration this week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and prevent lower courts from holding up White House efforts to downsize and reorganize much of the federal government. “This court recently intervened to stop a district court from undoing the effects of the lawful large-scale termination of probationary government employees.” […]

The Donald Trump administration this week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and prevent lower courts from holding up White House efforts to downsize and reorganize much of the federal government. “This court recently intervened to stop a district court from undoing the effects of the lawful large-scale termination of probationary government employees.” […]

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), a vocal nuclear critic and member of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee, told the Exchange Monitor over the phone Thursday that the extra funding for weapons activities in the White House budget could be better spent on non-proliferation or studying plutonium aging. “At the same time they’re increasing the […]

Three of President Donald Trump’s nominees to key jobs at the Department of Energy recently took a step closer to confirmation. The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on May 21 backed the nominations of Jonathan Brightbill to become general counsel, Tina Pierce to be chief financial officer along with Conner Prochaska to head DOE’s […]

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request is seeking $45 million for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), which is 7% more than the $42 million enacted for fiscal 2025. “This increase to safety oversight is imperative for DNFSB to keep pace with NNSA’s [the National Nuclear Security Administration] significantly increased weapons production schedule […]

Ukraine’s Pavutina–“Spider Web”–operation points to budget decisions ahead for the U.S. Air Force in hardening its bases in the United States and abroad, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where analysts have pointed to the significant kamikaze drone threat. More than 100 small quadcopter kamikaze drones hidden in trucks took off on cue on Sunday to destroy […]

Senate Armed Services committee chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released legislative text to the House-passed reconciliation bill Tuesday that would request $96 million to classified nuclear deterrence programs. The $96 million is a $74 million increase from the House version of the bill, passed in May with a razor-thin majority. It is part of the section […]

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request is seeking $45 million for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), which is 7% more than the $42 million enacted for fiscal 2025. “This increase to safety oversight is imperative for DNFSB to keep pace with NNSA’s [the National Nuclear Security Administration] significantly increased weapons production schedule […]

Three of President Donald Trump’s nominees to key jobs at the Department of Energy recently took a step closer to confirmation. The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on May 21 backed the nominations of Jonathan Brightbill to become general counsel, Tina Pierce to be chief financial officer along with Conner Prochaska to head DOE’s […]

Opportunities for nuclear deployment are available, but the extent of the industry’s expansion remains to be seen, nuclear insiders said during a Columbia University webinar. Former deputy secretary of Joe Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) Dave Turk led a webinar on Tuesday on the Donald Trump administration’s May 23 nuclear industry-based executive orders. Turk was […]

The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office in New Mexico, which oversees the nation’s disposal site for defense-related transuranic waste, would undergo one of the larger Environmental Management spending cuts in fiscal 2026, according to recent administration data. Carlsbad, in charge of the Office of Environmental Management (EM) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), would receive […]