Congress·In Committee·S. 2325

Sen. Luján Introduces $25 Billion Bill to Repair and Modernize National Labs

Restore and Modernize Our National Laboratories Act of 2025

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill would authorize $5 billion per year from 2026 through 2030 — a total of $25 billion — for the Department of Energy to repair and modernize the nation's 17 national laboratories, which conduct critical scientific research.
From policy text
“There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection $5,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030”
View in full text
The funding covers overdue maintenance on basic infrastructure like roads, power plants, and utilities, as well as construction of new research labs and upgrades to existing ones to support cutting-edge science and computing.
From policy text
“Priority deferred maintenance projects at National Laboratories, including facilities sustainment for, upgrade of, and construction of research laboratories, administrative and support buildings, utilities, roads, power plants, and any other critical infrastructure.”
View in full text
At least one-third of the annual funding must be managed by the Office of Science, ensuring a significant portion goes toward maintaining the country's leading scientific user facilities and computing capabilities.
From policy text
“of which not less than \1/3\ each fiscal year shall be managed by the Office of Science.”
View in full text
The bill requires the Department of Energy to submit annual project lists to Congress and develop a 10-year infrastructure plan with cost estimates, project priorities, and stakeholder engagement details to ensure accountability.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Luján along with four Democratic co-sponsors and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, meaning it faces a long road before becoming law.
From policy text
“Mr. Lujan (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Bennet, and Mrs. Gillibrand) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
View in full text

Energy EnvironmentTechnology DigitalInfrastructure Transportation

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 17, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Jul 17, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 1 year of enactment

The Department of Energy must submit a 10-year facilities and infrastructure strategy to Congress within one year of enactment

This plan would lay out exactly how the labs will be reconfigured and modernized, giving the public and Congress a clear picture of how the money will be spent

Related News

3 articles

Nextgov·over 4 years ago

Bill Would Commit Tens of Billions to Modernize National Labs

Rep. Bill Foster, a PhD physicist, proposed infusing the Energy Department with billions to upgrade national laboratories. Foster noted a $30 billion backlog of 'shovel-ready' projects, emphasizing that labs have driven half of U.S. economic growth since WWII through scientific research.

C+

FedScoop·over 4 years ago

National labs modernization bill introduced in Congress

Legislation introduced by Rep. Bill Foster would require the Department of Energy to fund deferred maintenance and modernization projects at its 17 strategically significant research facilities, which focus on areas ranging from clean energy to nuclear weapons stockpile management.

MeriTalk·over 4 years ago

Senate, House Bills Aim $30 Billion at Fixes for DoE National Labs

The Restore and Modernize Our National Labs Act seeks to provide a massive injection of federal funding as researchers increasingly rely on labs for work in AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology. The bill addresses a maintenance backlog caused by decades of underfunding.