"The White House has spent the past year remaking the nuclear regulator. Next up: an overhaul of its rules."

"One year ago, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was an independent agency, setting safety standards without White House interference.

Those days are over.

President Donald Trump has overhauled the agency, firing a Democratic commission member, handing off some authority to the Department of Energy and requiring a White House review of all draft rules. Most recently, Trump replaced the NRC chair, completing his remake of a commission that now has a 3-2 Republican majority.

The moves have meant months of turmoil at an agency that is key to Trump’s push for a nuclear revival. The administration says the changes will mean less red tape and quicker nuclear plant construction.

But current and former NRC and DOE staff and officials paint a picture of an agency struggling to adapt as it navigates a controlling Trump administration, a surge in nuclear energy applications and a new generation of first-of-a-kind reactor designs."

Francisco "A.J." Camacho reports for E&E News February 17, 2026. [2]