Budget & Policy

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are appealing a U.S. District judge decision limiting temporary reinstatement of probationary staff at the Department of Energy and many other federal agencies to just states that sued the Donald Trump Administration over mass firings. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of DOE, the Department of […]

The United States’ increasing energy demand could be met through new reactors depending on factors from costs to public acceptance of nuclear power, based on an ICF International report. The  March 27 report is available on the ICF website. ICF is a consulting and technology company based in Reston, Va. With the growth of data […]

Secretary of Energy Chis Wright told Fox Business News last week that deleting diversity language from a federal request for proposals, could attract more interest in new small modular reactor technology funds. The Department of Energy last week issued a $900-million solicitation for small modular reactor (SMR) technology. The DOE press release from March 24 […]

The chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy and Water wants to see the Department of Energy’s nuclear-related programs receive as much money as realistically possible during a period of government cutbacks. “I want to see the most robust budgets that we can — understanding that we are in tight fiscal times,” Rep. Chuck […]

The Department of Energy has circulated its own Deferred Resignation Plan, akin to the Office of Personnel Management’s earlier “Fork in the Road” initiative, and responses are due Tuesday April 8, according to a Monday memo from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The new DOE buyout is spawned by President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive […]

Russia’s top commander in Ukraine Gen. Sergei Surovikin discussed using nuclear weapons to prevent Ukraine from advancing into Crimea in the fall of 2022, the New York Times said March 29. The Times cited U.S. intelligence reports, which also reportedly said that U.S. intelligence agencies put the chances of Moscow using nuclear weapons between 5-10%, […]

The Donald Trump administration’s pick to be deputy secretary of energy, told a Senate panel Wednesday that if confirmed his focus would be on easing federal regulatory approval for new infrastructure and electricity projects.   In his prepared testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, James Danly also said keeping the Department of Energy’s […]

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are appealing a U.S. District judge decision limiting temporary reinstatement of probationary staff at the Department of Energy and many other federal agencies to just states that sued the Donald Trump Administration over mass firings. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of DOE, the Department of […]

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are appealing a U.S. District judge decision limiting temporary reinstatement of probationary staff at the Department of Energy and many other federal agencies to just states that sued the Donald Trump Administration over mass firings. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of DOE, the Department of […]

The chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy and Water wants to see the Department of Energy’s nuclear-related programs receive as much money as realistically possible during a period of government cutbacks. “I want to see the most robust budgets that we can — understanding that we are in tight fiscal times,” Rep. Chuck […]

The Department of Energy has circulated its own Deferred Resignation Plan, akin to the Office of Personnel Management’s earlier “Fork in the Road” initiative, and responses are due Tuesday April 8, according to a Monday memo from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The new DOE buyout is spawned by President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive […]

The Donald Trump administration’s pick to be deputy secretary of energy, told a Senate panel Wednesday that if confirmed his focus would be on easing federal regulatory approval for new infrastructure and electricity projects.   In his prepared testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, James Danly also said keeping the Department of Energy’s […]

The chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy and Water wants to see the Department of Energy’s nuclear-related programs receive as much money as realistically possible during a period of government cutbacks. “I want to see the most robust budgets that we can — understanding that we are in tight fiscal times,” Rep. Chuck […]

The Department of Energy has circulated its own Deferred Resignation Plan, akin to the Office of Personnel Management’s earlier “Fork in the Road” initiative, and responses are due Tuesday April 8, according to a Monday memo from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The new DOE buyout is spawned by President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive […]

Former Sen. Bennett Johnston (D-La.), a defender of nuclear energy and former chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, died March 25 at age 92.. Johnston was a moderate Democrat that served in the Senate from 1972 to 1997. He started in the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1964, and then the Louisiana Senate […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking this week: April  02 – Webinar: The Energy Communities Alliance will hold an online session on New Nuclear Opportunities starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. 

Tennessee Valley Authority board member Michelle Moore was removed from her role on March 27, at the direction of President Donald Trump, according to a Securities and Exchange Commissions filing.  The firing of Moore comes a week after Tennessee Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty criticized the direction of TVA in an op-ed piece. […]

The Indiana state Senate and House of Representatives have passed Senate Bill 424 on nuclear financing, which now awaits the signature of Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R). The bill would allow public utilities to petition before or during the construction of a small modular reactor to recover pre-construction costs from customers prior to receiving certificates […]

A Maryland-based federal district judge on Wednesday called for additional legal briefs from the U.S. Department of Justice and 20 state attorneys general challenging mass layoffs of probationary workers  at the Department of Energy and other federal agencies.  U.S. District Judge James Bredar issued a temporary restraining order against the mass layoffs earlier this month. […]

President Donald Trump has nominated a trio of officials to lead key Department of Energy branches serving the weapons complex, although as of mid-week Senate committees had not scheduled confirmation hearings on any of them. All three would report to the already confirmed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Exchange Monitor will update the nominees’ progress […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a solicitation that makes $900 million available through federal funds to support the deployment of small modular reactors (SMR). Originally issued in October 2024, the DOE announced the reissue of the solicitation on Monday as the agency works to better align with the Donald Trump administration’s agenda to […]

Former Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah), the first black Republican Congresswoman, died at age 49 on Sunday following a battle with brain cancer.  Love, who represented the 4th Congressional district of Utah from 2015-2019, passed away on Sunday in Saratoga Springs, Utah, according to her X account where her family announced it.  Love served as a […]

Illinois lawmakers plan to remove the state’s suspension on new nuclear projects in the proposed Senate Bill 1527. The proposed law, introduced by state Sen. Sue Rezin (R), would amend the state’s Public Utilities Act in removing the ban on constructing new nuclear power reactors with a rated capacity of more than 300 megawatts of […]

The Senate easily confirmed financier and Donald Trump campaign donor John Phelan 62-30 to be the next Secretary of the Navy on Monday evening. All Republicans present voted for Phalen. The 11 Democrats in favor included the Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (R.I.) and other committee members Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Tim Kaine […]

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent letters to directors of Oak Ridge, Los Alamos and Argonne National Laboratories on reports of researchers leveraging supercomputers from the Chinese military. Lee, a proponent for examining vulnerabilities at national labs particularly concerning foreign nationals, published the letters Wednesday on the […]

Ian Bennitt, a special assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for White House shipbuilding and maritime initiatives, is leading the administration’s new Office of Shipbuilding, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) said this week.  Wittman, vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters, including Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily, following remarks at last […]

A bipartisan group of Congressional representatives want to expand the National Nuclear Security Administration’s authority to develop counter drone technology, according to a press release by Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.).  The Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense Act (NEDD) was introduced by: Reps. Lee and Mark Amodei (R) from Nevada, Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), […]

A Maryland-based federal district judge on Wednesday called for additional legal briefs from the U.S. Department of Justice and 20 state attorneys general challenging mass layoffs of probationary workers  at the Department of Energy and other federal agencies.  U.S. District Judge James Bredar issued a temporary restraining order against the mass layoffs earlier this month. […]

A Maryland-based federal district judge on Wednesday called for additional legal briefs from the U.S. Department of Justice and 20 state attorneys general challenging mass layoffs of probationary workers  at the Department of Energy and other federal agencies.  U.S. District Judge James Bredar issued a temporary restraining order against the mass layoffs earlier this month. […]

President Donald Trump has nominated a trio of officials to lead key Department of Energy branches serving the weapons complex, although as of mid-week Senate committees had not scheduled confirmation hearings on any of them. All three would report to the already confirmed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Exchange Monitor will update the nominees’ progress […]