President Trump’s proposal to repurpose the U.S. plutonium stockpile to fuel nuclear reactors resulted in a May 23, 2025, executive order directing the Department of Energy (DOE) to revisit disposal plans and consider processing and redirecting some of the plutonium surplus to nuclear energy and new reactor designs, including for powering AI data centers. As of the last reporting in 2012, the United States had over 60 metric tons of plutonium in “surplus to defense needs” that were slated to be converted into nuclear waste and buried underground. The Trump administration’s initiative has drawn scrutiny: In a September 23, 2025, letter, Senator Ed Markey warned the plan poses proliferation risks and potential conflicts of interest, and a Politico article from September 29 amplified these worries, reporting that members of Congress fear the plan could divert as much as 20 percent from the surplus.
Given the size of the U.S. plutonium stockpile and the amount in surplus, why would President Trump’s proposal cause such an outcry? Couldn’t the stockpile be put to better use by increasing clean energy production rather than creating potentially dangerous waste buried underground? While the details of plutonium management may be highly technical and dredge up decades of debate, they reveal serious policy challenges for the Trump administration. The plan could create competition for both plutonium and, more seriously, capacity within the United States’ already overstretched nuclear enterprise; therefore, it should be accompanied by a parallel commitment by the administration to ensure that the National Labs are properly resourced and that the plan does not come at the expense of existing and vital nuclear modernization plans.
Critical Questions by Heather Williams
Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Q1: What is the current U.S. plutonium stockpile? Where does it come from, and is it dangerous?
Q2: What did the Trump administration recommend be done with the plutonium stockpile and why?
Q3: Why are some Democrats objecting to Trump’s plan?
Q4: How will this impact plans for U.S. nuclear modernization?
