75 companies and universities urge increase in US fusion funding, send letters to Congress

On November 10, 75 US-based companies and universities sent a letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, urging an increase in fusion energy funding. The community requests that fusion is funding at the level requested by the President’s budget request, at the full level authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act. The whole community agrees that the Committee should “fund and prioritize” fusion energy, as outlined in the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, the National Academies of Science’s consensus report on “Bringing Fusion to the U.S. Grid” and the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee’s “Long Range Plan.”

This letter is one of a series requesting support for the 2024 fusion energy sciences budget. While the President’s budget request for fusion was a record of over $1 billion, the initial drafts of the Congressional budgets were lacking in funding and prioritization.

Fusion’s champions are working to increase support. Last week, 72 Members of Congress sent a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations committee, urging that fusion energy efforts are adequately funded and that commercialization efforts are prioritized. A Senate letter is currently being circulated – we expect it to be sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee next week. You can find more information on the Congressional letters here.