12. Department of Energy and Related Commissions · Major · Needs Congress

Expand the Navy and develop new nuclear naval reactors

Partially done

Printed page 372 12. Department of Energy and Related Commissions

“Expand the U.S. Navy and develop new nuclear naval reactors to ensure that the Navy has the nuclear propulsion it needs to secure America’s strategic interests.”

What has happened

Jan 23, 2026 Partially done
Two objects, one delivered. Naval reactor development is funded and running: the FY2026 Energy and Water act appropriated $2.134 billion for DOE Naval Reactors (from $1.946 billion), covering the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program's reactor development and the Columbia-class reactor plant, and the FY2027 request seeks $2.394 billion with Naval Reactors Construction up 65%. That half of the ask is met while the work continues, and no new reactor design was announced in the window. The other half — expanding the Navy — has not happened: the battle force stood at 291 ships and was falling, which is why the fleet-size ask at #197 is only attempted. Partial, not done, under the two-object rule.
- P.L. 119-74 — FY2026 Energy and Water Development appropriations (Naval Reactors, $2,134,000,000)
  Primary Congress Jan 23, 2026
- DOE FY 2027 Budget in Brief — Naval Reactors $2,393,692 thousand (+12%), Naval Reactors Construction +65%
  Primary Executive branch Apr 3, 2026
Apr 9, 2025 Attempted
Executive Order 14269, Restoring America's Maritime Dominance, ordered a Maritime Action Plan with a government shipbuilding review covering "surface, subsurface, and unmanned programs" and itemized recommendations for the Navy; it says nothing about nuclear propulsion or reactors.
- Executive Order 14269 — Restoring America's Maritime Dominance
  Primary Executive branch Apr 9, 2025
- Restoring America's Maritime Dominance (Executive Order 14269)
  Primary Executive branch Apr 9, 2025

Research log

What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence

Research notes

Moved from partial to done on review: a “continue to develop” ask is done while the work continues. The reading rests on the naval-reactor half of the Quote, which is the half Chapter 12 owns.
Only the DOE half of the ask (naval reactors) was researched under Chapter 12; the Navy expansion half (ship counts, the FY2026 NDAA’s shipbuilding titles, reconciliation’s defense shipbuilding money in P.L. 119-21 title II) belongs with the Chapter 4 defense items. Federal Register full-text “naval nuclear propulsion” since 2025-01-20: 0 hits.

Action: expand
Object: U.S. Navy nuclear naval reactors
ID: 941