Trump administration officials’ push for Congress to boost a tax incentive for nuclear projects could get complicated if Democrats win control of the House this fall.
Both Republicans and Democrats largely support efforts to bolster nuclear power. But federal incentives for nuclear energy created under 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act have so far failed to attract takers with energy buyers and utilities hesitant to build expensive nuclear reactors.
If Democrats take back the lower chamber of Congress in November’s midterm election, the calls by the Trump administration to expand the nuclear investment tax credit are likely to get wrapped up in Democrats’ efforts to restore clean energy tax credits that are being eliminated courtesy of the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has pressed Congress to overhaul the nuclear investment tax credit as part of the administration’s all-hands approach to helping the U.S. meet a White House goal of quadrupling the nation’s net nuclear power capacity by 2050.
