YourVoice.Now Summary
Corporate BenefitsEnvironmentTransparency & AccountabilityThe federal export bank could finance nuclear reactor sales it cannot fund today — and lend up to $50 billion past its limit.
Corporate Benefits
The bank runs a program meant to match China's export deals in fields like artificial intelligence and 5G. Nuclear technology, fuel, services, and related goods would join that list, so sellers could seek government-backed loans, guarantees, and insurance.
The bank may have $135 billion in loans, guarantees, and insurance out at once. China-program deals could sit up to $50 billion above that line, and deals the bank already made could be moved into the new room.
The bank must stop growing its loan book once overdue payments reach 2 percent of its financing. That line would move to 4 percent, so it could keep lending with twice as much money overdue.
Environment
Current law bars the bank from helping pay for fast breeder reactors, which make more nuclear fuel than they burn, and for plants that pull usable fuel out of spent rods. The bank could back those sales when a nuclear deal with the buyer's country or another American law already permits them.
Transparency & Accountability
The default rate is the share of owed payments that are overdue. If China-program deals push it to 4 percent, the board could vote to drop those deals from the figure. Written reports to Congress, monthly updates, and an outside review all key off that same figure at 2 percent.
More about this bill
Most people would see no change in daily life. The Export-Import Bank is a federal bank that helps American companies sell abroad. Today it may not help pay for breeder reactors or plants that recycle used nuclear fuel. The bill would lift that ban when American law or a nuclear deal with the buyer's country already allows the purchase. Civil nuclear energy would also become eligible under the bank's program to compete with China. The bank could also lend more. Its total limit is $135 billion. Deals under the China program could add up to $50 billion on top. Today the bank must stop growing its total if overdue payments reach 2 percent of its financing. The bill moves that trigger to 4 percent. If China-program deals push the rate to 4 percent, the bank's board could vote to leave them out of the count. That same count sets off reports to Congress once it passes 2 percent.
Congressional Summary
Civil Nuclear Export Act of 2026 This bill provides the Export-Import Bank with certain authorities to finance civil nuclear energy exports. Specifically, the bill allows the Export-Import Bank to provide financing for the purchase of liquid metal fast breeder nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities if the purchase is otherwise permitted by law. Additionally, the bill expands the China and Transformational Exports Program (CTEP) by making civil nuclear energy eligible for financing under the program. Currently, the bank may extend loans, guarantees, and insurance to advance the comparative leadership of the United States with respect to China in specified export areas (e.g., artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and wireless communications equipment). This bill expands those areas to include civil nuclear energy technologies, materials, services, and related infrastructure and goods. The bill also revises the financial limitation on the outstanding aggregate amount of all of the bank's loans, guarantees, and insurance. In particular, the bill exempts those amounts attributed by the bank to CTEP, as long as that financing does not exceed a specified amount. The bill also increases from 2% to 4% the bank's default rate cap. Further, the bill allows the bank to exclude financing under CTEP from this default rate, subject to approval of the bank's board of directors.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-08-05
- Date Added
- 2026-09-21
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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