An unidentified committee member pressed Mr. Williams, a reactor operator at Southern Company, on imports of foreign uranium and a waiver process that the questioner said has allowed Russian uranium into the United States despite a 2024 law.

The questioner said, "In '24, Congress passed, the prohibiting Russian uranium import act" but said "Russia uranium has still been flowing to The US under a waiver process" and added, "There's been a concerning uptick in Chinese uranium exports to The US. I'm very concerned about our reliance on adversarial nations for critical minerals, particularly refined rare earth elements." The question concluded by asking Mr. Williams whether he was concerned about state-owned entities in Russia and China influencing the U.S. nuclear fuel market.

Mr. Williams responded that ensuring "a safe and secure reliable supply of our fuel" is in the best interest of customers. He said, "At Southern Company, we've taken a very conservative approach to the sourcing of our fuel, sourcing fuel from, I would say, more friendly nations, to our to our country and making sure that we have that reliable supply to that." He added, "So, yes, it is a concern for the comp for our company, that we have a reliable supply."

The exchange raised the tension between a 2024 congressional restriction on Russian uranium and the continued use of waivers to permit imports, and it noted a separate reported increase in Chinese uranium exports to the United States. The transcript records no formal action, vote or policy decision during this exchange; the concern was raised as part of committee questioning and met with a company statement about procurement practices.

Next steps were not specified in the transcript.