Lofgren fusion bill would appropriate $10 billion for commercialization

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) "led the introduction" of the American Leadership in Fusion Act on September 24, 2026, and Reps. Don Beyer, Lori Trahan and James Gallagher "joined in sponsoring this legislation," Lofgren's office said; GovInfo's bill status record lists it as H.R. 10574, Lofgren as sponsor and the other four as original cosponsors, referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology the same day, with no text version posted as of September 25, 2026. The release says the bill, "if enacted," would provide "$10 billion in direct investments" to accelerate fusion commercialization.

The text posted by the committee's Democratic staff, a draft dated September 16, 2026 with the bill number blank, would make six appropriations in five "there is appropriated" clauses: $800 million for fiscal year 2027 for fusion materials, blanket and fuel cycle research and development; $100 million for a fusion supply chain program; $2 billion for the existing milestone-based fusion energy development program (whose 2023 awardees included Realta Fusion, per the FIA's list); $3 billion for a new milestone-based demonstration program for fusion pilot plants; and $3.8 billion for large research facilities plus $300 million for small and mid-sized ones. The six sum to $10 billion by our arithmetic; further amounts are authorized but not appropriated. The demonstration program 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."

Section 103(a) would write an Office of Fusion into the Department of Energy Organization Act, whose head "shall be an Assistant Secretary for Fusion Energy," and transfer to it "all programs carried out by the Fusion Energy Sciences program of the Office of Science as of November 19, 2025"; DOE created an Office of Fusion in a November 20, 2025 reorganization, the Fusion Industry Association said then. Among the office's listed duties is managing public-private partnerships "with a goal to start construction of more than one fusion pilot power plant not later than December 31, 2028." Section 103(b) adds "fusion energy resources" to the research functions listed in 42 U.S.C. 7133(a)(2); section 7133(a) provides for "8 Assistant Secretaries," each "appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate," and 103(b) leaves that number unchanged, which gives the FIA's post a basis in the text when it calls the position "a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of Fusion Energy."