In a stunning bipartisan vote, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a landmark legislative package aimed at revitalizing America’s nuclear energy sector, sending a clear message that the country is ready to embrace clean, reliable, and American-made power once again.

The legislation — which passed 88–2, with only far-left holdouts Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voting against it — is being hailed as a turning point for domestic nuclear production. The bill had been paired with a measure reauthorizing the U.S. Fire Administration and fire grant programs, which will now head to President Trump’s desk for signature.

“It will be history-making in terms of small modular reactors, which is the future of nuclear,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), celebrating the breakthrough.

The move comes as many of the country’s aging nuclear plants approach retirement, leaving the U.S. dangerously dependent on foreign energy sources — especially hostile ones. The bill streamlines the approval process for new reactor construction, slashes licensing fees, and directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to fast-track environmental reviews.

“It’s a facilitator of the process by which industry has to get approvals for building these projects,” said Lesley Jantarasami, managing director at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s energy program.

The House passed the package in a 393–13–1 landslide, with just a handful of far-left Democrats objecting to the nuclear portion — Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) voted “present” to split the difference between her support for firefighters and her ideological opposition to nuclear energy.

The legislation directly supports the bold energy vision laid out by President Donald J. Trump, who has made “unleashing American energy” a pillar of his second-term agenda. Early in his renewed presidency, Trump signed four executive orders aimed at demolishing bureaucratic red tape at the NRC, demanding decisions on nuclear license applications within 18 months.

For decades, America led the world in nuclear technology — until regulatory delays and out-of-control costs allowed China to leapfrog ahead. The new reforms aim to reverse that, pushing the U.S. to triple nuclear output by 2050, from around 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts.

Trump’s directives call for:

• Expedited federal permitting
• A pilot program for three experimental reactors to be operational by July 4, 2026
• Use of the Defense Production Act to rebuild a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain and weaken Russia’s market stranglehold
• Reopening shuttered nuclear plants
• Locating new reactors on military bases and public lands

In a critical provision, Trump’s orders give the Energy Secretary authority to approve select advanced reactor designs, removing the NRC as the sole gatekeeper — a move designed to speed up innovation and reduce federal obstructionism.

Until recently, the U.S. relied heavily on Russian-enriched uranium — a dangerous vulnerability exposed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Thanks to bipartisan action and Trump’s leadership, that supply has now been cut off, and new directives are focusing on domestic enrichment and strategic stockpiles.

The bill also retains tax incentives for new nuclear development, but with a caveat: companies must begin construction before January 1, 2029, incentivizing rapid deployment of new projects.

But there are challenges. The NRC — long criticized for moving at a glacial pace — has said it may take up to three years to review new small reactor proposals, which would violate Trump’s 18-month directive. Trump has responded by demanding a top-to-bottom overhaul of the agency’s structure, accusing it of being “misaligned with Congress’s directive that the NRC shall not unduly restrict the benefits of nuclear power.”

A full reorganization is now underway through the Department of Government Efficiency.

America is at a crossroads. The path President Trump has laid out puts the U.S. back on track to becoming the world leader in safe, clean, and sovereign nuclear energy — no longer shackled to Chinese or Russian supply lines, and no longer paralyzed by bureaucrats clinging to outdated red tape.

While the usual left-wing opposition remains — reflexively hostile to anything involving nuclear power or Trump-led innovation — the numbers don’t lie: this is a bipartisan mandate to move forward. And with historic investments, fast-tracked approval timelines, and a president who understands the strategic value of energy independence, nuclear power in America may finally get the second wind it desperately needs.