DOGE comes to the NRC

The Big Story 

A staffer with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has now taken on a key role at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which President Trump has sought to reduce and reform despite its independent status.

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David Wright, whom Trump has renominated for a spot on the commission, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that “there is currently one staff member detailed to the NRC from [the Department of Energy].”

Wright, in written responses to questions from the Senate panel viewed by The Hill this week, said that the staffer is detailed to the Office of the Executive Director for Operations and is in charge of implementing Trump’s executive order to reform the commission.

A source familiar told The Hill the DOGE lead at NRC is named Adam Blake and that he is in charge of implementing Trump’s orders, adding that part of this responsibility includes handling reductions in force at the agency.

The source said in a Signal message this appointment is “not normal.” 

The NRC is an independent agency that regulates the safety of nuclear energy reactors. Presidents can nominate commissioners to the panel, but it does not answer directly to the president the way other administrative agencies do.

Energy Department spokesperson Andrea Woods noted that Trump’s executive order “directs the NRC to work with DOGE to reform the organization’s structure and accelerate permitting.”

The order states that the NRC “shall, in consultation with the NRC’s DOGE Team … reorganize the NRC to promote the expeditious processing of license applications and the adoption of innovative technology.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) blasted what he described as “a Department of Energy hostile takeover of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission” during a meeting this week when Wright’s nomination was advanced to the full Senate.

Read more at TheHill.com.

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