Spending Caps Impose Shortfalls on Planned Fusion Energy Development Allocations

Key Democrat calls on Biden administration, Congress to boost funding if US is to remain the world leader in emerging energy technology.

(L–R) Scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Alex Zylstra, Annie Kritcher, and Jean-Michel Di Nicola hold a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington on Dec. 13, 2022. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Despite advances in the last two years, the federal government’s fiscal year 2025 budget falls short of annual allocations outlined in 2021’s CHIPS and Science Act and funding requests from industry leaders for fusion energy research and development.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) is calling on Congress to find the money to meet those benchmarks if the United States is to remain the global leader in developing what some call the “holy grail” in emerging energy technologies.