EnergySec grilled on cutting national lab funding, says ‘open’ to expanding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee expressed their disapproval Wednesday to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on a proposed 11% cut in the Department of Energy’s budget for the labs.

“I love the national labs, they deliver tremendous value to us in our history, and they will in the future,” Wright said when asked about the cuts by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). “I’m actually very open to expanding the lab budget back a little bit from where the current proposal is. I’ve been voicing that… I am keen, actually, to grow the budget for our national labs.”

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member of the committee, said in his opening remarks at a DOE budget hearing with Wright as witness that “just yesterday” he heard from the national labs that the fiscal 2026 budget request would cut funding for the labs by $2.75 billion, or 11% compared to fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025. “An estimated loss of more than 7,700 jobs once fully implemented,” Heinrich added.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was forcibly removed and handcuffed by FBI personnel at a Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles last week, told Wright there was a “disconnect between what you say are priorities and your budget request.”

“When you came to California, you reaffirmed your commitment to the national labs,” Padilla, whose state includes Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratories, said to Wright. Padilla added the labs were important for maintaining the United States’ “competitive advantage and security.”

“So unless I got that wrong, how do you expected the United States to lead the world when your budget proposal seems to decimate our research and development capabilities?” Padilla said.

When Wright started to respond that “it does hurt me to cut expending in science,” Padilla interrupted saying, “then don’t do it. Then don’t do it. Then don’t even propose it.”