U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright joined Governor Glenn Youngkin and business leaders today at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
August 21, 2025
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Secretary Wright joined Governor Glenn Youngkin at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility highlighting the importance and impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB).
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright joined Governor Glenn Youngkin and business leaders today at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Secretary Wright participated in a roundtable with business leaders and Governor Youngkin to discuss the powerful impacts of President Trump’s OBBB and DOE’s ongoing effort to build AI capabilities—highlighting how the bill’s investments in next-generation AI will build on the groundbreaking science and innovation being driven across DOE’s National Labs.
At the Lab, Secretary Wright saw firsthand its leadership in next-generation nuclear science technology, STEM workforce development, and introduced the new MOLLER experiment, a groundbreaking scientific initiative of national significance. Secretary Wright toured the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), one of the world’s most advanced particle accelerator for probing the quark structure of atomic nuclei, discoveries that will fuel the imagination and provide the foundational understanding for a wide range of technologies.
“Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is driving world-class science, training the next generation of STEM leaders, and advancing technologies that will strengthen America’s energy future,” said Secretary Wright. “Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, we’re investing in the breakthroughs happening here and across our National Labs to unleash American energy dominance, lead the world in AI innovation and ensure the U.S. stays ahead of strategic competitors.”
“Jefferson Lab, one of the Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories, is a world leader in nuclear research and nuclear science, as well as the largest production facility for intelligence,” said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. “The critical work that we’ve done here in Virginia to support facilities like JLab put us in a strong position to be the federal government’s number-one partner in unleashing all-American, all-of-the-above energy. It was an honor to join Secretary Wright for today’s events as we heard about the enthusiasm from the private sector and the new investments being made under the One Big Beautiful Bill. Virginia is ready to lead the next chapter of America’s nuclear energy renaissance.”
“Jefferson Lab is proud to be a DOE national laboratory and very fortunate to have a strong partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia, proving that Virginia is indeed for science lovers,” said Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Director Jens Dilling. “We are pleased that Secretary Wright and Governor Youngkin had an opportunity to visit the nation’s premier nuclear physics laboratory, and learn firsthand how we are harnessing AI, advancing nuclear science and training the workforce that will meet our nation’s challenges and power the nation’s next generation of innovation.”
The visit marked Secretary Wright’s 14th stop toward his goal of visiting all 17 Department of Energy National Laboratories this year, underscoring the Administration’s commitment to investing in U.S. leadership in the nuclear workforce and AI through the One Big Beautiful Bill.
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