Energy Secretary Chris Wright voiced his support for the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office and clean energy tax credits for the nuclear and geothermal industries during an appearance before House Republicans on Tuesday. 

Wright testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on energy to discuss the administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal. The hearing, though, was dominated by discussions about the House-passed reconciliation legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

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Wright was repeatedly pressed on the reconciliation bill provisions slashing funding for the LPO, which has been the target of Republicans for years. 

Many within the GOP dub the office former President Joe Biden’s “Green Bank,” as the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act swelled its lending capabilities to nearly $412 billion. 

Since then, the LPO has used its authority for clean energy projects involving solar technologies, electric vehicles, carbon capture and storage, and nuclear power. 

Critics have said that slashing the LPO’s authority and pulling all unobligated funds would impair its ability to support energy innovation properly. 

“It’s going to cripple the program,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said during the hearing.

Pallone asked Wright whether it was accurate that he would want to see the program continue despite what House Republicans pushed for in the tax megabill. 

“That’s accurate,” Wright said. He later pointed out that in its budget proposal, the administration seeks to continue the LPO to boost nuclear energy projects.

Wright did note that he wants DOE to be “cautious and judicious” with the LPO, but insisted that he believes it can be a helpful tool for bolstering the nuclear energy renaissance over the next few years. 

The legislation passed by House Republicans would also end numerous clean energy tax credits expanded or created under the IRA, which Democrats passed. 

This includes ending technology-neutral tax credits for all projects unless they can start construction within 60 days of the bill’s enactment and are placed in service by the end of 2028. 

Only nuclear energy saw some relief in the passed bill, with projects eligible for the credits if they have only started construction by 2028 and are not yet in operation.

Monday afternoon, Wright called on the Senate to extend this deadline further. 

“My recommendation has been to leave behind the equivalent of the wind and solar tax credits, through if you start construction by 2031, for nuclear fission and fusion and geothermal,” he said during an energy summit in Washington, D.C. 

Wright was asked to confirm that position before the House committee on Tuesday and if he would call Republicans to inform them of his position. 

“I have been doing just that,” Wright said, adding that he believed geothermal and nuclear were emerging as “reliable” and “dispatchable” energy sources that should receive federal subsidies.

The future of Republican cuts to tax credits currently lies with the Senate, which has yet to mark up any section of its version of the reconciliation budget. 

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The Senate Finance Committee is expected to release the bill’s text in the coming days and weeks. This will include any extensions or cuts to existing credits. 

Amid increased pressure from the administration to tweak and pass legislation, Republicans are seeking to have the package on President Donald Trump’s desk by July 4.