Vol. 29, No. 2 
Trump taps Brandon Williams as his NNSA administrator
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Trump’s DOE nominee says US uranium enrichment and pits ‘collapsed to nearly nothing’
WASHINGTON — Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) pick for secretary of energy, said he would make it a priority to enrich uranium domestically Wednesday at his confirmation hearing. “We have lost our ability to enrich uranium in this country, to construct plutonium pits, and to do so many critical things that are key to […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Hegseth says supports SLCM-N ‘as of right now’ at Senate Armed Services hearing
WASHINGTON — Peter Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) intended nominee for Secretary of Defense, was questioned Tuesday by a Senate committee about his fitness for the role, including his knowledge of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), whose state houses silos for land-based, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, asked whether Hegseth, a former […]
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Budget & Policy
Jill Hruby says ‘momentum’ most important for NNSA next admin
WASHINGTON — Jill Hruby, outgoing administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, told the next administration ‘don’t lose the momentum’ in a tell-all on the state of the nuclear enterprise Thursday. “I think, you know, there’s other people saying this as well,” Hruby told the Exchange Monitor after her comments at Washington think tank the […]
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Budget & Policy
Granholm bids DOE adieu; Kolb to be acting secretary
Jennifer Granholm, the 16th U.S. secretary of energy, formally said goodbye to DOE staff Thursday and the Joe Biden White House announced Ingrid Kolb, the head of the agency’s management office, will become acting secretary effective at noon Monday. In addition, Teresa Robbins will step in as acting administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, […]
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Budget & Policy
House appropriations leaders make subcommittee assignments
Leaders of the House Appropriations Committee announced their subcommittee rosters for the 119th Congress this week, showing more continuity than change in subcommittees affecting the Department of Energy. There are some additions and departures, but leaders for the appropriations subcommittees that write the first drafts of annual spending bills that affect DOE nuclear programs will […]
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Budget & Policy
House armed services leaders make subcommittee assignments
Leaders of the House Armed Services Committee announced their subcommittee rosters for the 119th Congress this week in a joint press release. Last week, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), returning as the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, announced the GOP subcommittee assignments. Friday, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), returning ranking member of the committee, released […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Trump admin may be more receptive to industry shipyard plan, HII CEO says
The CEO of shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries said the incoming Trump administration is likely more receptive to a plan developed by the Navy and industry to improve shipyard wages and quicken submarine production. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) CEO Chris Kastner told reporters Jan. 9 during a roundtable ahead of the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
CBO details downsides of AUKUS sub sales
The Congressional Budget Office review this month of the Navy’s latest 30-year shipbuilding plan highlighted how the planned submarine sales to Australia under the AUKUS agreement are likely to lower total U.S. submarine operational years. The Navy plans to sell an initial used Virginia-class submarine to Australia in 2032, a second used submarine in 2035 […]
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International
Iran met with E3 to discuss nuclear program, resume nuclear talks
Representatives from Iran met in Geneva this week with officials from Germany, France and the U.K., the so-called E3 countries, to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program, media reported. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said on the website X that conversations with the E3 countries were “serious, frank, and constructive.” Iranian […]
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Budget & Policy
Wrap up: Illinois rep calls for RECA expansion; El Capitan ceremony; Japan earthquake rattles nuclear plants
Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) this week called upon Congress to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include more people made sick by their work to process uranium and thorium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Budzinski and local officials gathered at a former Dow Chemical factory in Venice, Ill, Monday Jan. 13 to promote […]