Why It Matters

More than 80 percent of uranium enrichment for U.S. nuclear fuel occurs overseas, with roughly 20 percent coming from Russia, even as Congress has moved to restrict that trade. A Senate subcommittee hearing scheduled for next week will put three pieces of legislation directly at that vulnerability, examining whether the U.S. can build a domestic nuclear supply chain fast enough to match its ambitions and its dependencies.

The Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will convene the hearing preview session on Wednesday, May 20. The legislative hearing schedule puts three bills on the table: the Build Nuclear With Local Materials Act, the Recharge Act, and the Enrichment Licensing Modernization Act.

The Dependency Problem

At a prior Senate EPW Committee hearing on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's FY 2027 budget, Ranking Member Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) pressed NRC Commissioner Weaver on the domestic uranium enrichment gap, noting that more than 80 percent of enrichment occurs overseas and that a significant share of enriched uranium still originates from Russia despite congressional restrictions. Kelly serves as the Ranking Member on the subcommittee holding next week's hearing.

That concern was thrown into sharper relief just days ago. On May 8, a report from EADaily described a U.S. regulatory approval of uranium supply to an American company involving Russian nuclear giant Rosatom, which the outlet described as "a world leader in the enrichment of raw materials for the production of fuel for nuclear power plants."

The transaction, occurring less than two weeks before the scheduled hearing, illustrates the gap between congressional intent and current market realities.

Federal Investment Sets the Stage

In January 2026, the Department of Energy announced $2.7 billion in awards to restore American uranium enrichment services over the next decade, framing the investment as a rebuild of a domestic supply chain for nuclear fuel. The Enrichment Licensing Modernization Act, one of the three bills in next week's hearing preview, appears aimed at ensuring the NRC's licensing framework can keep pace with that investment.

The timing is reinforced by activity in the private sector. French nuclear company Orano has been planning to finalize contracts and submit a license application to the NRC in the first half of 2026 for its IKE enrichment project, described as a new domestic source of enriched uranium. If the existing regulatory framework is seen as too slow or outdated to accommodate new applicants, the case for licensing modernization becomes immediate rather than theoretical.

Broader Congressional Push

The three bills are part of a wider legislative wave.

In April 2026, Sens. Lee and McCormick introduced the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, targeting regulatory and structural barriers that have slowed nuclear innovation.

The concurrent activity across multiple Senate committees signals coordinated momentum behind nuclear expansion legislation in the 119th Congress.

The Subcommittee

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) chairs the subcommittee and will preside over the upcoming hearing. Kelly serves as Ranking Member. The full subcommittee membership includes Sens. Pete Ricketts, Shelley Moore Capito, Kevin Cramer, Roger Wicker, Lindsey Graham, John Curtis, John Boozman, Jon Husted, Ed Markey, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff, and Lisa Blunt Rochester.

The hearing testimony and member exchanges will offer the first public legislative airing of all three bills, and will likely serve as a gauge of whether the bipartisan concern over foreign enrichment dependency can translate into durable legislation.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.