What Happened?
Three permanently closed U.S. nuclear reactors are being restarted, at Palisades in Michigan, Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Pennsylvania, and Duane Arnold in Iowa, and the Trump administration has set a target of 10 new large reactors under construction by 2030.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congress's nonpartisan research arm, examined U.S. nuclear energy policy in a new report. The 94 licensed reactors at 54 U.S. sites currently generate about 20 percent of the nation's electricity.
Why Does it Matter to Me?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates electricity from new nuclear plants coming online in 2031 would cost 8.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, after tax credits, in 2025 dollars. That is about 54 percent more than onshore wind at 5.7 cents per kilowatt-hour and about 52 percent more than solar at 5.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. Those estimates depend on future fuel prices, regional resources, and tax incentives, so the final numbers could shift.
Several bills addressing nuclear energy financing have advanced in Congress:
- The International Nuclear Energy Financing Act of 2025 is House bill H.R. 1474.
- The International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025 is bill S.1801 in the 119th Congress.
- The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027 is bill H.R.9022 in the 119th Congress.
Both Sides, Now
The Trump administration signed four executive orders on May 23, 2025, to accelerate nuclear deployment, setting a goal of 10 new large reactors under construction by 2030 and quadrupled generating capacity, to 400,000 megawatts, by 2050. One order required the Department of Energy (DOE) to approve at least three test reactors by July 4, 2026; four met that deadline, exceeding the target.
A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspection document dated Oct. 13, 2026, said schedule and work-scope changes, management changes, and communication challenges "could have contributed" to safety culture concerns during Palisades restart work. The EIA cost data also supports concerns about competitiveness, since nuclear is estimated to cost more than onshore wind or solar for plants coming online in 2031.
A separate flashpoint is a nuclear cooperation agreement the U.S. signed with Saudi Arabia in July that does not require Saudi Arabia to give up uranium enrichment, a process that can produce weapons-grade material. Sponsors of a House disapproval resolution argued the agreement "fails to secure these critical safety measures," and disapproval resolutions have been introduced in both chambers.
What Happens Next?
Holtec, the owner of Palisades, began loading fuel into the reactor in late August, a concrete step toward the first-ever restart of a permanently closed U.S. nuclear plant.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee holds H.J.Res. 217, a disapproval resolution on the Saudi nuclear agreement, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds S.J.Res. 221. Will Congress move to reject the Saudi deal, or will the enrichment question go unresolved?
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