Conner Prochaska, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) within the Department of Energy, told lawmakers on Wednesday that, if confirmed, he will work to advance energy and critical technologies.
However, lawmakers expressed concern over his ability to do so as President Trump’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2026 proposes a 57 percent cut to ARPA-E’s budget.
“Energy and critical technologies are at an inflection point,” Prochaska told members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources during his May 14 confirmation hearing. “Quantum, artificial intelligence, fusion, small module reactors, geothermal, the list can go on, but these technologies will fundamentally change how the country and the world consume and produce energy.”
“If confirmed, I intend to make sure that we attack all of those technologies as best as we possibly can,” he added.
Prochaska said ARPA-E is uniquely positioned to lead on what he called “high-risk, high-reward research” leading to technological developments. He also pledged to “maintain American leadership” in these critical technology areas.
While lawmakers were pleased with his commitments, Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, criticized the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to ARPA-E.
“Mr. Prochaska, you waxed eloquent about the talented and dedicated staff of ARPA-E and all the great work that they’ve done. Their budget’s being cut by 57 percent. How do you justify all this nice talk about what you’re going to do when your agency’s being cut more than in half?” Sen. King said.
“You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but what speaks here is 57 percent cut,” he added.
The senator noted that the president’s proposed budget prohibits “Green New Scam technologies,” and expressed his concern that Prochaska did not mention renewable energy sources.
“Senator, I can’t opine on what the definition of that language is. I can commit to, if confirmed, that the ARPA-E and the portfolio that we investigate and we look into will include all technologies,” Prochaska told Sen. King.
“The portfolio that we will investigate will include all technologies, and reliable is important to the energy that we need for the future, to fund some of the emerging technologies that we’ve talked about,” the nominee added.
Sen. King said he appreciated Prochaska’s comments, but warned, “What I’m going to watch is what you do.”
“The policy of this budget is a drastic cut,” Sen. King concluded. “We’re talking about a more than half cut [to ARPA-E]. So, I’m going to watch what you do and not what you say.”