Only months after Congress funded cleanup at the Hanford site at its highest level ever, the White House is proposing to cut next year’s funding by about $400 million.

President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would fund the U.S. Department of Energy at nearly $54 billion, a nearly 10% increase over the current fiscal year. However, the Office of Environmental Management, which oversees Hanford, would see an overall cut of 5%, or about $386 million.

“The reduction in funding reflects a strategic focus on near-term, critical path cleanup milestones,” according to the White House’s budget document.

The White House specifically cited Hanford in its top line budget document, saying “reductions focus on operating the new Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste facility to reduce liability rather than accumulating balances for partially-designed facilities.”

A DOE document detailing the White House proposal indicates the cuts would delay:

• Demolishing and remediating the 100K area.
• Deactivation of the 324 Building.
• Replacing the 200E 1.1-million-gallon potable water tank.
• Upgrades for the export water system and Central Plateau Electrical Capacity project.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, wasted no time blasting the proposal. “Trump’s proposed budget is a slap in the face to the Tri-Cities, threatening the Hanford cleanup mission and the community with this absurd budget request,” she said in an April 4 statement, noting that it costs more in the long run to cut corners on nuclear waste cleanup.

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, is currently studying the proposed FY2027 budget, his office said.

“He understands the administration’s desire to find the most effective use of taxpayer dollars for the Hanford cleanup mission,” his office said in a statement to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. “With that in mind, he intends to use his position as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to ensure the federal government abide by its commitments to the mission and Tri-Party agreement through the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington Department of Ecology.”