00:00Mr. Secretary, you will have the opportunity to give an opening statement followed by a round
00:04of questions from members. And again, of course, our witnesses, the Honorable Chris Wright,
00:10Secretary of the Department of Energy. We appreciate you being here, and Mr. Secretary,
00:15we look forward to hearing your opening statement, and you have five minutes. Thank you very much.
00:21Thank you, Chairman Lauda, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Castor, and Ranking Member Pallone.
00:31And members of the committee, it is an honor to appear before you today as Secretary of Energy
00:36to discuss the President's fiscal year 2026 budget requests for the Department of Energy.
00:43Under President Trump's leadership, our priorities for the Department are clear,
00:47to unleash a golden era of American energy dominance, strengthen our national security,
00:53and lead the world in innovation. A reliable and abundant energy supply is the foundation of a
01:00strong and prosperous nation. When America leads in energy, we lead in prosperity, security,
01:07and human flourishing. America has a historic opportunity to secure our energy systems,
01:14propel scientific and technological innovation, including AI, maintain and strengthen our weapons
01:21stockpiles, and meet Cold War legacy waste commitments. The Department of Energy will advance
01:28this critical mission while cutting red tape, increasing efficiency, and ensuring we are better
01:34stewards of taxpayer dollars. The President's fiscal year 26 budget will ensure taxpayer resources are
01:42allocated appropriately and cost-effectively. We will invest DOE's resources in sources and technologies
01:50that support affordable, reliable, and secure energy, and provide a return on investment for the
01:57American taxpayers. We will return the Department to its core mission and eliminate spending on projects
02:04that fail to provide such a return, fail to advance our energy needs, and fail the test of economic
02:11viability. It is deeply concerning how many billions of dollars were rushed out the door without proper due
02:18diligence in the final days of the Biden administration. DOE is undertaking a thorough review of financial
02:25assistance that identifies waste of taxpayer dollars, protects America's national security, and advances
02:33President Trump's commitment to unleash American energy dominance. As a result, we recently announced the
02:40termination of 24 projects totaling over $3.7 billion in taxpayer-funded financial assistance. These projects
02:49failed to meet the economic, national security, or energy security standards necessary to sustain DOE's
02:57investment, and the taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize them. Instead, we are advancing a policy of energy
03:04addition, fully leveraging affordable, reliable, and secure sources that have powered our country for
03:11generations. The United States is blessed with an abundance of coal, oil, and natural gas, and our
03:18administration is committed to using them to meet growing energy needs of the American people. Every one of these
03:25resources was unleashed through the world-changing power of American innovation. Our national labs are the engine that
03:34drives research and development to expand our energy dominance. We will prioritize research that
03:41supports true technological breakthroughs and maintains America's global competitiveness. America must play a
03:48leading role commercializing of reliable, safe, and secure nuclear energy, and we are taking steps to
03:56accelerate innovation in this sector. DOE is working to advance the rapid deployment of next-generation
04:02nuclear technology, including small modular reactors. I am proud to report that we have officially ended the
04:10previous administration's reckless pause on LNG export permits and have returned to regular order for reviewing and
04:18approving new permits. DOE will also work to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a national asset that protects the
04:26security in times of crisis. I want to thank this committee for prioritizing funding to refill the SPR in the
04:34one big beautiful bill as well. We're advancing President Trump's pledge to lower the cost of living and expand
04:42choice by right-sizing DOE's approach to home efficiency standards and regulations. Under the President's direction, we've begun slashing more than 47 regulations as part of the largest
04:55deregulatory effort in history. These actions are projected to save the American people approximately $11 billion
05:03while restoring consumer freedom and lowering costs. The responsible stewardship and modernization of the nation's nuclear weapons system is paramount for this administration.
05:15DOE is focused on addressing critical upgrades for the U.S. nuclear stockpile and maintaining our engine powerhouses for submarines and aircraft
05:23carriers. Both tasks will be even more crucial in the next few years.
05:29Our nuclear innovation as a nation began with the Manhattan Project, and the next Manhattan Project is clearly AI. DOE has a significant role to play in driving AI innovation for scientific discovery and national security.
05:47Our agency has world-class high-performance computing capabilities, including four of the world's top ten supercomputers.
05:55Harnessing our energy potential to power global AI leadership while meeting growing energy demand will be the challenge of our time. But America doesn't back down from big challenges or big builds.
06:09As Secretary of Energy, I'm honored by the responsibility to help meet the American people's growing energy needs and lead the world in energy
06:18development. I appreciated the opportunity to work with many of you on this committee to unlock America's full energy potential and drive down costs for
06:26families with the one big beautiful bill. And I look forward to continuing to work together to achieve President Trump's energy dominance agenda.
06:36Thank you for the opportunity to testify before this committee.
