Trump’s Energy Secretary Says He Doesn’t Like Some of the Cuts in Trump’s Budget Proposal

“I’m actually very open to expanding the lab budget back,” Chris Wright told senators of cuts to the Office of Science.

Chris Wright
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he would like to see an increase to the Office of Science budget in the administration’s proposal. Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has told Congress that he does not support the massive science cuts in his own budget proposal.

The Department of Energy’s proposed budget for the coming year slashes funding for the country’s 17 national labs and for its cutting-edge energy research program — more than halving the budget for the latter.

Under the budget proposal, the DOE’s Office of Science, which funds the large, complex technical facilities used to research the world’s most difficult energy questions, would lose more than $1 billion from its $8 billion budget.