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, which starts on Oct. 1. The Donald Trump administration provided more details to its so-called skinny budget.
The initial skinny budget was released on May 2. At the same time OMB issued its technical supplement document, the administration also provided its 61-paged Congressional justification document for its spending request.
According to the tables, the Office of Nuclear Energy will see a reduction from $1.685 billion in both 2024 and 2025 to $1.37 billion in fiscal 2026.
The two biggest cuts in the Office of Nuclear Energy’s proposed budget comes in fuel cycle research and development and its Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program.
Fuel cycle research and development funding would be cut from $428.5 million in 2024 to $320.5 million in 2026 under the request while the reactor demonstration program funding would fall from $315.4 million in 2024 to $154.5 million in 2026.
Although big cuts are proposed to come to the Office of Nuclear Energy, DOE said the budget will include a $750 million credit subsidy for the Loans Program Office to assist in accelerated nuclear deployment.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright emphasized the usage of the loan office in nuclear deployment in his Senate budget hearing last month.
Along with budgetary cuts, the Office of Nuclear Energy would have its workforce cut from 301 in 2025 to 252 in 2026, under the budget request.