Fleischmann Remarks at Hearing on Department of Energy

I would like to welcome Secretary Chris Wright to the Energy and Water Subcommittee this morning. Secretary Wright, thank you for joining us today to discuss the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the Department of Energy. 

I would like to take a moment to express my deep appreciation for your continued partnership over the last 14 months. Your commitment to maintaining strong lines of communication has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with you as we develop the Fiscal Year 2027 bill.

Mr. Secretary, the Department has continued at an aggressive pace under the Trump Administration, and the past year has demonstrated the Department’s clear commitment to furthering American energy abundance. In the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, the Administration continues to prioritize expanding domestic energy production, strengthening technological leadership, and enhancing national security—work that is essential to maintaining America’s competitiveness.

I am encouraged by the Department’s continued focus on critical research areas, including high performance computing, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, nuclear energy, and critical minerals. 

In November, President Trump issued an executive order launching the Genesis Mission, an ambitious effort to advance discovery science, enhance our national security, and accelerate new energy technologies through the use of an artificial intelligence platform that brings together the National Labs and industry collaborators and leverages the Department’s high-performance computing, quantum systems, and artificial intelligence expertise. 

I look forward to hearing more about the Department’s plans to further this initiative, while also ensuring that these investments do not come at the expense of DOE’s core scientific discovery mission that is essential to American scientific and technological leadership. 

As many know, I have long championed an all of the above energy strategy because affordable, abundant energy benefits every American. However, nuclear energy must remain foundational to that strategy. 

The Administration has appropriately placed nuclear energy at the forefront of U.S. energy policy, beginning with the 2025 executive orders aimed at accelerating deployment of advanced reactor technologies and expanding domestic nuclear capacity. With the support of this Committee, the Department has taken important steps to support demonstration and pilot projects and to strengthen the domestic fuel cycle, including increasing U.S. enrichment capabilities and supporting efforts to reprocess used nuclear fuel. However, additional federal investment is essential to ensure the timely commercialization of these advanced technologies and to establish a secure and resilient domestic nuclear fuel supply chain. Without sustained and targeted support, the United States risks ceding leadership in nuclear innovation and undermining our long-term energy security.

I am pleased to see that the budget request continues to prioritize funding for our nation’s nuclear deterrent, proposing an increase of 29 percent to the National Nuclear Security Administration. The FY27 request continues strong investments in sustaining and modernizing the stockpile, recapitalizing production infrastructure, and maintaining the scientific tools and workforce to uphold the strength of our nuclear deterrent. Communist China’s nuclear buildup, Russia’s continued aggression, and the war in the Persian Gulf underscore how rapidly the global security environment is shifting, and our nuclear deterrent remains indispensable to U.S. national defense. At the same time, it is imperative that DOE ensure prudent investments and provide the necessary oversight so that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.

Secretary Wright, thank you for being here today. I look forward to working with you and my colleagues to develop a fiscally responsible bill that will strengthen our national security and advance American energy dominance.