The US Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed a close to 9% cut to the budget of the Office of Nuclear Energy for the fiscal year 2027 and an 8% cut for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which it says is in part due to efficiencies gained over the past year.

According to a briefing document released with the budget, the Office of Nuclear Energy would receive $1.5bn (€1.3bn) in funding for the fiscal year 2027, a fall of around 9%. The US federal government’s fiscal year runs from the beginning of October to the end of September the following year.

The NRC, meanwhile, would receive $892.3m for the fiscal year, which would be about 8% less than the previous year. This includes a 7% decrease in staff, or 2,606 full-time positions.

Both budgets must still be assessed and voted on in Congress.