DOGE staffer takes on Trump reform role at independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Hill

2 days ago

A staffer with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has now taken on a key role at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which President Trump has sought to reduce and reform despite its independent status.
David Wright, whom Trump has re-nominated for a spot on the commission, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that 'there is currently one staff member detailed to the NRC from [the Department of Energy].'
Wright, in written responses to questions from the Senate panel viewed by The Hill this week, said that the staffer is detailed to the Office of the Executive Director for Operations and is in charge of implementing Trump's executive order to reform the commission.
A source familiar told The Hill that the DOGE lead at NRC is named Adam Blake and that he is in charge of implementing Trump's orders, adding that part of this responsibility includes handling reductions in force at the agency.
The source said in a Signal message that this appointment is 'not normal' and that nothing similar has happened in the commission's history.
The NRC is an independent agency that regulates the safety of nuclear energy reactors. Presidents can nominate commissioners to the panel, but it does not answer directly to the president the way that other administrative agencies do.
Energy Department spokesperson Andrea Woods noted that Trump's executive order 'directs the NRC to work with DOGE to reform the organization's structure and accelerate permitting.'
The order states that the NRC 'shall, in consultation with the NRC's DOGE Team … reorganize the NRC to promote the expeditious processing of license applications and the adoption of innovative technology.'
DOGE staffers have infiltrated various federal agencies in the first six months of Trump's term. Many of those agencies answer to the president, unlike NRC, which is independent.
DOGE staffers have reportedly been spotted at at least one other independent agency, the Federal Trade Commission.
NRC spokesperson Maureen Conley said in a written statement that the agency is 'working quickly to implement the Executive Orders reforming the agency' but declined to provide specifics on DOGE.
'We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration, DOE, and DOD on future nuclear programs,' Conley said.
The Trump administration has been broadly supportive of advancing nuclear energy — including by minimizing safeguards such as environmental review in order to get more nuclear power on the grid.
Trump's executive order seeks to further that goal. It also calls for layoffs at the agency.
It additionally says that personnel at the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, which provides advice on hazards and radiation protection, 'shall be reduced to the minimum necessary' to comply with law.
The NRC, meanwhile, has had a tumultuous few weeks as the White House recently fired Democratic Commissioner Christopher Hanson last month.
In his written responses, Wright told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the DOGE staffer has met with senior staff but that he himself was 'not present for any conversations between the one staff member and senior staff related to reassignment.'
He also said that as a detailee from the Department of Energy, the staffer does not report to anyone within the NRC.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) blasted what he described as 'a Department of Energy hostile takeover of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission' during a meeting this week where Wright's nomination was advanced to the full Senate.
Whitehouse also questioned whether there is anyone who holds the staffer to account.
'So who, then, supervises this DOGE staffer? Who holds this staffer to account? Is this staffer above the Chairman?' Whitehouse said.