Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) urged industry members at a Tuesday event to engage with Congress following the midterm elections to continue domestic nuclear power’s current momentum.
Fleischmann told the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council’s New Nuclear Capital event in New York City that nuclear power has gained bipartisan support in Congress over time and can continue to grow through engagement with newly-elected legislators.
Fleischmann, who is participating in the current lame duck session in Washington, D.C., addressed the event virtually.
The new Congressional session including the new members elected last week, is scheduled to begin on Jan. 3 2027.
Over the past two years, President Donald Trump’s administration has prioritized nuclear power as a pivotal energy source to help meet growing electricity demands driven in part by artificial intelligence. Fleischmann said he wants to keep the momentum going.
“The [nuclear] industry is doing exceedingly well,” Fleischmann said. “I need each and every one of you all, whether you’re in academia, industry, government, to work with us and continue to work with us in a very bipartisan and bicameral way.”
Fleischmann continued, “There’s going to be 110 new members in the United States House, several in the United States Senate. So, I want to make sure that you all make sure that our new members on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers continue to advocate for nuclear energy.”
Fleischmann, who won his recent reelection bid, said industry members should key in on new members, particularly young Democratic Party members. Younger Democrats have an interest in clean baseload energy, and nuclear energy could be that solution, he said.
“So the key is going to our new members,” Fleischmann said. “It’s always been easier with Republicans [ regarding nuclear energy]. Let’s face it. Why is it going to be easier with Democrats, particularly younger Democrats who disagree with me on just about everything? They want clean, carbon-free, reliable energy. That’s nuclear energy, and there’s going to be a push for that in the new Congress.”
In the midterm elections this year, Democrats flipped both the House and Senate, gaining full control of Congress come the new legislative session. Though Fleischmann said he will likely become the ranking member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee, he said he will continue to advocate for nuclear power. He served as the chair of the appropriations’ subcommittee for nearly four years.
