Congress quietly funds nuclear exports to counter China—at taxpayer expense
H.R. 3626 — International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025 · Filed by Byron Donalds (R-FL) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced May 29, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill establishes a coordinated U.S. government strategy to export nuclear energy technology and financing to developing countries, particularly those without existing nuclear programs. It creates a White House office to oversee nuclear exports, authorizes $50–250 million in grants and financing to help developing nations build nuclear programs, and directs federal agencies to negotiate partnerships with allied nations and developing countries to deploy U.S. nuclear reactors and technology—explicitly framed as competition against Chinese and Russian nuclear influence.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to mobilize federal resources—grants, loans, financing, and diplomatic coordination—to accelerate U.S. nuclear company exports to developing nations. While framed as countering Chinese/Russian influence and addressing climate/energy security, the mechanism is fundamentally a subsidy program for the nuclear industry, using taxpayer funds to de-risk and finance private sector sales abroad.
What the text implies
- The bill authorizes the Secretary of State to waive 'any provision of law relating to competition' for nuclear exports if deemed necessary—a broad carve-out that could suppress domestic competition and antitrust enforcement in nuclear markets.
- Grants of up to $5.5M per developing nation can fund hiring of 'senior advisors' from U.S. nuclear companies to design that nation's entire nuclear program—creating a conflict of interest where the company designing the program also stands to win contracts to build it.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
U.S. nuclear energy companies (NRG, WEC, EXE, AES, and smaller reactor manufacturers); Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (expanded lending authority); U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (expanded investment authority)