WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid ongoing organizational changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), staffing concerns take precedence as the independent regulator works to license the next generation of nuclear reactors.
During a Wednesday Senate Environment and Public Works budget hearing, NRC Commissioner Bradley Crowell told the Senate that over the past 16 months, the agency lost over 500 staffers and has only hired 59 staffers. Crowell said he was concerned with the agency’s staffing as it expects more licenses to come down the pipeline.
“The need to enhance regulatory efficiencies without impacting safety is why my paramount concern as a commissioner today is the current and future NRC workforce,” Crowell said in opening statement. “But the agency is being directed to do more with less despite a growing workload and aggressive new timeframes for agency licenses and oversight activities. This is an unsustainable dynamic.”
President Donald Trump’s White House has requested $892.3 million for NRC for fiscal 2027. This represents a 8.1% or $79.1 million decrease from the fiscal 2026 enacted budget of $971.4 million. According to NRC’s fiscal 2027 budget justification, $133.3 million is allocated towards salaries and expenses, a $15.6 million reduction from fiscal 2026.
NRC Chairman Ho Nieh and Commissioner Doug Weaver said that the fiscal 2027 budget request reflected the agency’s needs. Nieh and Weaver said the agency is not approaching licensing and its oversight activities like before, but approaching in new and streamlined ways.
“We’re fundamentally changing the way we do licensing,” Weaver told Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.). “We’re using risk-informed performance-based regulations and approaches. What that means is we focus on what matters the most and spend our time on what really impacts safety.”
“In that way, we can be more efficient and use less resources and still have good safety outcomes,” Weaver added.