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119-hr-8648119th Congress

FORGE Act

Sponsored By: Representative Baird, James R. [R-IN-4]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would create the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program inside the State Department to promote responsible deployment of U.S. civil nuclear and small modular reactor technology abroad.

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  • U.S. businesses: Would receive State Department advocacy and early-stage commercial project support, including feasibility and engineering studies, to help secure fair market access against state-backed competitors.
  • Partner governments: Would get consultations on licensing, legal, and regulatory frameworks, plus training, technical resource sharing, and coordination on codes and standards to support safe SMR deployment.
  • Oversight and timeline: Would require an unclassified report within 120 days and triannual briefings detailing diplomatic outreach, contributing partners, cooperation activities, U.S. business engagements, and funds expended, with a classified annex allowed. The program would terminate on June 8, 2034.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Program to promote U.S. small reactors

This bill would create a State Department program called FIRST to promote U.S. small modular reactors abroad. The Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, or a designee, would run the program. The program would push U.S.-sourced civil nuclear projects in bilateral and multilateral forums, press partner governments to adopt top safety, security, and nonproliferation standards, provide licensing and regulatory advice, and offer early-stage commercial support like feasibility and engineering studies. It would also support training, technical resource sharing, and coordination of codes and standards. The Under Secretary would report to Congress within 120 days after enactment and provide the same information in a briefing within 120 days and on a triannual basis thereafter. The section would terminate on June 8, 2034.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Baird, James R. [R-IN-4]

IN • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 5/4/2026

  • Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40]

    CA • R

    Sponsored 5/13/2026

  • Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10]

    NC • R

    Sponsored 5/13/2026

  • Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2]

    KS • R

    Sponsored 8/31/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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