Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission face congressional scrutiny for the second time in recent weeks, after Chair Ho Nieh sought to assuage lawmakers’ concerns about the agency losing its independence in the Trump administration.
All five NRC commissioners are set to appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee this week on the agency’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget. The administration asked for a roughly 8 percent decrease for its nuclear safety program, citing efficiency gains regarding in part because of a 2024 law — the ADVANCE Act — meant to cut red tape and accelerate new reactor approvals.
But the likely hot topic will be the how much the White House and the Energy and Defense departments are getting involved in the commission’s operations. The White House is reviewing NRC rulemaking and executive orders from President Donald Trump give DOE and the Pentagon more of a say in the reactor approval process.
Nieh, during a House Energy and Commerce hearing late last month, said he didn’t believe his agency is under attack from administration officials, as some critics allege.
