U.S. Presidential Budget Request for Fusion Falls Short

On April 3, President Trump released the Presidential Budget Request (PBR) for Fiscal Year 2027. Within this, the request for the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program of $755.25 million is $50 million less than the $805.65 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2026. 

The PBR includes $135 million for public-private partnerships (PPP) such as the Milestone Program, INFUSE, private facility research, and the fusion Bridge program. The FIA applauds the $35 million increase for PPPs compared to the FY26 enacted level ($100 million). However, the overall PBR falls well short of the CHIPS and Science Act’s authorized FES funding level of $1.114 billion for FY27. Compared to the significant fusion investments other nations are making, this status quo budget request will not accelerate the commercial deployment of fusion energy and risks putting the United States behind its international competitors. 

The FIA calls upon Congress to fully fund FES at its authorized level and provide a one-time $10 billion investment in fusion facilities, programs and projects to accelerate commercial fusion’s deployment and scaling.