Bipartisan fusion bill proposes $10B for commercialization and research

Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D., Calif.) and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R., Calif.) have led the introduction of a House bill, the American Leadership in Fusion Act. If enacted, it would provide $10 billion in direct investments for fusion facilities, research, and commercialization efforts and would authorize the establishment of an Office of Fusion within the Department of Energy and a National Science Foundation-led fusion workforce development program.

The bill aims to implement the recommendations given in a bipartisan commission report released in October by the Special Competitive Studies Project's (SCSP) Commission on the Scaling of Fusion Energy.

The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Don Beyer (D., Va.), Lori Trahan (D., Mass.), and James Gallagher (R., Calif.).

Report alarms: The SCSP report warned that the United States is on the verge of losing the fusion power race to China, noting that China has invested at least $6.5 billion in its fusion enterprise since 2023-almost three times the funding received by the DOE's fusion program over the same period.

The report recommends that the U.S. government launch a national fusion goal; declare fusion a national security priority; invest to $10 billion for fusion commercialization; and implement strategic actions to cut regulatory red tape, build robust supply chains, and develop the fusion workforce.

The American Leadership in Fusion Act aims to enact this with half of the $10 billion going toward milestone-based development programs and the other half toward building test facilities and supporting research and development. The bill also would amend the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act.

Office of Fusion: The bill would authorize the establishment of the DOE Office of Fusion headed by an assistant secretary for fusion energy. The office would be responsible for all programs carried out by the Fusion Energy Sciences program of the Office of Science as of November 19, 2025.

The Office of Fusion would aim to ensure U.S. leadership in fusion energy technologies and plasma science, accelerate market adoption of fusion technologies, manage public-private partnerships, expand international fusion energy cooperation, support the fusion workforce, and advise fusion regulators.

The bill would authorize the appropriation through the Office of Fusion of more than $1.1 billion per year from 2027 to 2031 to carry out milestone programs, facility construction, and other research activities.

Milestone programs: The American Leadership in Fusion Act also would allocate $2 billion for the existing milestone-based development program for fusion, which announced its first selectees in 2023.

As that program continues, the bill would appropriate $3 billion for a new milestone-based program focused on supporting fusion pilot plants, which could be designed to generate electricity, thermal energy, hydrogen, or radioisotopes.

Applicants will be required to explain the technology readiness of their plant designs and business models, including the likelihood that their concepts will be cost competitive in their relevant markets.

The bill defines a fusion pilot plant as a fusion facility "that can demonstrate at least 50 megawatts of net electricity supplied to the electric grid for more than 3 continuous hours, with the goal of demonstrating the suitability of the design of such facility for commercial application of fusion power."

Selected participants will be responsible for all costs until milestones are achieved and verified. The bill indicates that the milestone-based development program should be carried out within six months of the bill enactment.

Out of the Office of Fusion's annual appropriation, the bill would authorize $150 million annually from 2027 to 2031 for the milestone-based programs.

Major test facilities: In addition to the milestone-based programs, the bill would appropriate significant funding for new test facilities: specifically, a fusion neutron source and research facilities for studying the fusion fuel cycle, breeding blanket technologies, and fusion system materials.

For 2027, the bill would appropriate $3.8 billion for these large test facilities and $300 million for small and mid-sized facilities that address priorities identified by the DOE's Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap.

The bill specifies that the Office of Fusion should operate a facility designed to conduct experiments that reexpose previously irradiated plasma-facing materials to plasma, as described in a 2020 Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee report describing a 10-year vision for fusion energy and plasma science. The facility should aim for one Tesla magnetic field and a 10 MW/m² energy flux at the target. The bill also states that the facility should start operations before the end of 2027.

Research priorities: The bill highlights key fusion technologies to be funded for R&D, including demonstrating materials that can endure the fusion environment, addressing fuel cycle challenges like breeding blanket technology, and planning for the management of fusion byproducts and facility decommissioning.

The activities are to be carried out in coordination with the milestone-based development program. The bill would appropriate $800 million for these efforts and authorize the appropriation of $150 million from the Office of Fusion's budget annually from 2027 to 2031.

Inertial fusion, magnetic fusion, and alternative fusion concepts are all listed in the bill as research approaches. While it does not specifically authorize funds for magnetic fusion, inertial and alternative concepts are each appropriated $50 million per year during 2027-2031 out of the Office of Fusion's budget.

For inertial fusion, the bill specifies the funds are for R&D related to inertial fusion target design, modeling, diagnostic tools, and energy driver technologies. For alternative concepts, it specifies exploring field-reversed configuration concepts, levitated dipole concepts, magnetic mirror concepts, or other promising alternative approaches.

The bill also would appropriate $75 million per year for the period 2027-2031 for general plasma science and applications, including research activities that advance the understanding of the scientific community of fundamental properties and complex behavior of matter to control and manipulate plasmas for a broad range of applications, including support for research relevant to advancements in chip manufacturing and microelectronics.

Workforce and supply chain: The bill indicates that the National Science Foundation director should coordinate with the DOE's assistant secretary of fusion energy to make awards that further the goal of developing new fusion training, education, and research experiences in addition to supporting existing efforts.

It includes provisions allowing the implementation of pilot programs to support industry professionals in developing course materials and teaching training to educate students.

Further, the DOE's Office of Fusion would be directed to establish a "Fusion Skilled Technical Workforce" and "STEM Education Coordination Hub" led by an institution of higher education. The hub's purpose would be to serve as a clearinghouse for relevant federal programs and to facilitate the establishment of programs to disseminate fusion-related instructional materials.

The bill also highlights critical fusion technology needs, including high temperature superconducting magnets, fusion-relevant lasers, fusion chambers, blanket systems, and more. It would appropriate $100 million for 2027 for activities supporting the establishment and expansion of these supply chains.

They said it: "Fusion is the future, and this bipartisan bill is a major step in capitalizing on the promise of its emission-free power," said Lofgren. "We are faced with a choice: lead the global race to commercialize fusion power or get left behind. We need to match the momentum we are experiencing with breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility, from the emerging fusion energy industry, and at universities and other national laboratories across the country to fortify the foundation of fusion energy in America, in both the private and public sectors. With $10 billion in direct investments for high-priority activities, the establishment of an Office of Fusion at DOE, a workforce development program, and much more-this bill will unleash a new era of fusion energy development in the United States."

Andrew Holland, chief executive officer of the Fusion Industry Association, said, "The private fusion industry has attracted a record $4.5 billion in investment over the past year, but to deploy in the U.S. within the next decade, it needs a strong partner in the federal government. The American Leadership in Fusion Act provides the DOE with the necessary guidance to support commercialization, along with the government resources needed to develop the infrastructure and grow the public-private partnerships accelerating fusion's deployment."

Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard also weighed in, saying, "In line with the bipartisan Special Competitive Studies Project's fusion commission's call to action, the American Leadership in Fusion Act will help accelerate fusion energy's progress onto the grid. This bipartisan legislation invests in the critical research infrastructure highlighted in the Administration's Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap, and it will help fusion companies advance faster with a supercharged milestone commercialization program."