Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate hearing spotlights DOE FY26 cuts, potential job losses at national labs
Summary
Secretary Wright defended the Department of Energy's fiscal year 2026 budget, including proposals that committee members say would cut funding for national labs and research programs and could cost thousands of jobs; lawmakers pressed DOE on the rationale for reductions and the department's plan to prioritize projects.
Secretary Wright, the secretary of energy, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 18 that the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget will reallocate DOE funding toward what he called "affordable, reliable, and secure" energy priorities and tighter stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
The committee's ranking member, Senator Heinrich, warned that the proposal would sharply reduce research funding and harm the national laboratories. "This budget would cut funding for the labs by $2,750,000,000 or 11% compared to fiscal year 2024," Heinrich said, and added that the cut could mean "an estimated loss of more than 7,700 jobs once fully implemented." The senator called the proposed reductions and recent personnel actions at DOE a threat to U.S. scientific leadership.
Why it matters: National laboratories and DOE research programs underwrite long-term energy innovation and national security technology. Committee members from both parties pushed the secretary for details about how the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
