SECRETARY WRIGHT, ADMINISTRATOR WILLIAMS, AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY WALSH TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
Today, May 13 at 9:30am ET, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Atomic Energy Defense Activities in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Nuclear Security Program. Testifying before the committee were:
Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright
Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, Brandon Williams
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management (EM) for Department of Energy, Tim Walsh
The hearing focused on deterrence, urgency, and production while emphasizing safety and fiscal prudence. Secretary Wright stated in his opening remarks, “[NNSA is] focused on deterrence, urgency, and production, while working hand-in-hand with the Office of Environmental Management to make substantial progress in advancing the critical cleanup of nuclear waste. The surest way to prevent nuclear war is to ensure America's strength is never in doubt…NNSA is delivering more new nuclear weapons and plutonium pits than at any time since the Cold War”.
Secretary Wright also underscored their priority to invest in new nuclear development, emphasizing the four Executive Orders issued in May 2025, how the U.S. has restarted uranium enrichment, and the goal of having multiple small modular reactors (SMRs) reach criticality by July 4 of this year. He highlighted achievements in high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) procurement as well, citing a 325 kg handoff of HALEU from NNSA to DOE-NE and a landmark deal with Japan to transfer 1.7 metric tons of HALEU to the United States. He went on to say, “we will be the leader in nuclear power and innovation in the world”, citing the Ohio Portsmouth site’s Gaseous Diffusion Plant transformation into a new nuclear and industrial hub as an example.
Administrator Williams began by noting how the Savannah River site has been turned over to NNSA from EM, signaling a transition to a growth agenda, and noting a reevaluation of the timeline and budget to come over the summer. Further, Administrator Williams expressed optimism regarding meeting plutonium pit production numbers at both Los Alamos and the Savannah River Site.
Assistant Secretary Walsh discussed vitrification at the Hanford and Savannah River sites and noted the success of transitioning to a glass-plus-grout approach to the treatment of low-activity waste. Mr. Walsh also stated support for Senator Gillibrand’s (D-NY) bill to reauthorize remediation efforts of the West Valley Demonstration Project.
ECA will continue to provide updates as hearings continue regarding the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027. Stay up to date using ECA’s recently updated Federal Budget Tracker.