The Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC), based in Kennewick, Wash., said this week it is too early for locals to panic about a proposed fiscal 2027 budget cut for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site.
The House Appropriations Committee last week passed out of committee its version of the Energy & Water spending plan for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 and calls for about $2.8 billion for Hanford nuclear cleanup. That is less than the roughly $3.1 billion approved by Congress for fiscal 2026 and also less than the $2.9 billion requested by the Donald Trump White House.
“While those [local] concerns are understandable, it is important to recognize that proposed budgets are only the beginning of the federal appropriations process,” TRIDEC said in a June 8 press release. “Significant reductions have been proposed in prior years, yet Congress has consistently demonstrated strong bipartisan support for both Hanford and PNNL,” referring to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
For instance, both the fiscal 2026 president’s budget request and the House-passed bill for fiscal Year 2026 proposed Hanford funding cuts, TRIDEC said. “However, the final appropriations bill approved by Congress increased Hanford funding by $277 million—nearly 9.4 percent above the previous year. Similarly, while some programs supported by PNNL faced proposed reductions, Congress ultimately maintained strong funding for many of the laboratory’s core mission areas.”
“While TRIDEC will continue advocating aggressively for the resources needed to support Hanford and PNNL, history provides strong reasons for confidence,” the regional economic development council said. “Time and again, Washington’s congressional delegation has successfully secured the funding necessary to protect local jobs, advance Hanford cleanup, and strengthen PNNL’s contributions to scientific discovery, energy resiliency, and national security.”