DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act

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Bill ID: 119/hr/1368
Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Sponsored by

Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]

ID: B001323

Follow the money

The bill

DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act

HR. 1368, 119th Congress β€” read as touching Nuclear Power.

The sponsor

Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$71,235 raised

20 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

March 24, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

πŸ“ Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

πŸŽ‰

Passed Congress

πŸ–ŠοΈ

Presidential Action

βš–οΈ

Became Law

πŸ“š How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of bureaucratic doublespeak, courtesy of our esteemed Congress. Let's dissect this monstrosity and expose the rot beneath.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act is a fancy name for "Let's Make Friends with NASA and Share Our Toys." The bill aims to facilitate collaboration between the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on research and development projects. Because, you know, these two behemoths of bureaucracy weren't already wasting enough taxpayer dollars on redundant programs.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill authorizes the DOE Secretary and NASA Administrator to engage in "cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities" (read: vague buzzwords). They'll do this through memoranda of understanding, because who needs actual legislation when you can just sign a memo? The bill also allows for competitive awards, which will undoubtedly be awarded to the usual suspects – cronies and campaign donors.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The DOE, NASA, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, non-profit institutions, and other "appropriate entities" (wink-wink) will all get a piece of the action. Translation: expect a feeding frenzy of pork-barrel politics and sweetheart deals.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic case of "research for research's sake." It's a smokescreen to justify more government spending on pet projects, while actual innovation and progress take a backseat. The real impact will be felt by taxpayers, who'll foot the bill for this bureaucratic boondoggle.

Now, let's get to the root cause of this disease: the insatiable hunger for power, prestige, and pork-barrel politics that drives our elected officials. This bill is a symptom of a larger problem – the corrupting influence of special interests and the revolving door between government and industry.

Diagnosis: Terminal bureaucratic sclerosis, with a side of crony capitalism.

Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism, followed by a strong prescription of transparency and accountability. But don't hold your breath; this patient is terminal.

Related Topics

Federal Budget & AppropriationsResearch & Innovation Policy
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

πŸ’° Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]

Congress 119 β€’ 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$71,235
16 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$0
Committees
$0
Individuals
$71,235

No PAC contributions found

No organization contributions found

No committee contributions found

1
ODOM, WILLIAM L
2 transactions
$10,000
2
GERONDALE, CHRISTOPHER
2 transactions
$6,600
3
SCHWARZMAN, CHRISTINE
2 transactions
$6,600
4
SCHWARZMAN, STEPHEN
2 transactions
$6,600
5
LOKEN, TYLER
1 transaction
$5,000
6
FOX, RICHARD
1 transaction
$3,435
7
MCNAMARA, MICHAEL
1 transaction
$3,300
8
FORSYTHE, GERALD R
1 transaction
$3,300
9
HILLMAN, TATNALL LEA
1 transaction
$3,300
10
HUFFMAN, JEREMY
1 transaction
$3,300
11
LETTS, JIM
1 transaction
$3,300
12
SPOKELY, KATHERINE
1 transaction
$3,300
13
TAYLOR, MARGARETTA J
1 transaction
$3,300
14
ANTONSEN, HANS
1 transaction
$3,300
15
ANTONSEN, LAURA
1 transaction
$3,300
16
BABCOCK, KRISTIE
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 3 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Rep. Kennedy, Mike [R-UT-3]

ID: K000403

Top Contributors

10

1
ULRICH, DAVE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN β€’ PROFESSOR
IndividualALPINE, UT
$10,000
Jun 5, 2024
2
BRENCHLEY, ROXANE
HOMEMAKER β€’ HOMEMAKER
IndividualALPINE, UT
$9,900
Jan 12, 2024
3
BRENCHLEY, SHAWN
VIVINT β€’ VP
IndividualALPINE, UT
$9,900
Jan 12, 2024
4
JOHNSON, HEATHER
SELF β€’ HOMEMAKER
IndividualOGDEN, UT
$9,900
Jan 12, 2024
5
JOHNSON, JOHN
RETIRED β€’ RETIRED
IndividualOGDEN, UT
$9,900
Jan 12, 2024
6
KENNEDY, HUGH
RETIRED β€’ RETIRED
IndividualYPSILANTI, MI
$9,900
Jan 12, 2024
7
KENNEDY, JACOB
DEACONESS HOSPITAL β€’ DOCTOR
IndividualEVANSVILLE, IN
$9,900
Mar 15, 2024
8
ULANOFF, DORY
ARCADIS β€’ MARKETING
IndividualYPSILANTI, MI
$9,900
Jan 12, 2024
9
ZUPANCICH, ANTHONY
RETIRED β€’ RETIRED
IndividualSAINT CLAIR SHORES, MI
$9,900
Mar 27, 2024
10
PLUMB, WALTER III
RETIRED β€’ RETIRED
IndividualSALT LAKE CITY, UT
$6,700
Jan 12, 2024

Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]

ID: W000830

Top Contributors

10

1
SWING LEFT
CONDUIT TOTAL LISTED IN AGG. FIELD
PACWASHINGTON, DC
$2,400
Nov 5, 2024
2
AMERIPAC: THE FUND FOR A GREATER AMERICA
CONDUIT TOTAL LISTED IN AGG. FIELD
PACWASHINGTON, DC
$500
Oct 17, 2024
3
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$1,000
Aug 8, 2024
4
HARRIS, WILLIAM
MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL β€’ PHYSICIAN
IndividualLEXINGTON, MA
$5,000
Jan 25, 2024
5
HARRIS, WILLIAM
IndividualLEXINGTON, MA
$5,000
Feb 7, 2024
6
BAILEY, DAVID
KPPB LLP β€’ PATENT ATTORNEY
IndividualLOS ANGELES, CA
$3,300
Oct 22, 2024
7
BIRMINGHAM, CYNTHIA
SELF EMPLOYED β€’ ATTORNEY
IndividualSAN FRANCISCO, CA
$3,300
Oct 30, 2024
8
BROOKS, JAMES
GRACIE FILMS β€’ WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
IndividualLOS ANGELES, CA
$3,300
Oct 17, 2024
9
CLUBOK, ANDY
LATHAM & WATKINS LLP β€’ ATTORNEY
IndividualWASHINGTON, DC
$3,300
Oct 30, 2024
10
DELANEY, QUINN
NOT EMPLOYED β€’ RETIRED
IndividualPIEDMONT, CA
$3,300
Nov 9, 2024

Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]

ID: V000138

Top Contributors

10

1
LUX FOR VIRGINIA
OrganizationLADYSMITH, VA
$500
Mar 29, 2024
2
LUX FOR VIRGINIA
OrganizationLADYSMITH, VA
$500
Mar 31, 2024
3
FORSTER-BURKE, DIANE
NOT EMPLOYED β€’ NOT EMPLOYED
IndividualCOTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, UT
$4,000
Apr 20, 2024
4
FORSTER-BURKE, DIANE
IndividualCOTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, UT
$4,000
May 5, 2024
5
VON STEIN, THOMSON
IndividualROCKVILLE, MD
$3,500
Aug 7, 2024
6
HULL, MEGAN
SELF β€’ ACTIVIST
IndividualWASHINGTON, DC
$3,300
Nov 2, 2024
7
KAISER, GEORGE
GBK CORPORATION β€’ EXECUTIVE
IndividualTULSA, OK
$3,300
Oct 25, 2024
8
PARSONS, KATHLEEN
NOT EMPLOYED β€’ NOT EMPLOYED
IndividualPOTOMAC, MD
$3,300
Oct 18, 2024
9
STAPLE, HARISE
SELF β€’ MD
IndividualLOS ALTOS, CA
$3,300
Oct 18, 2024
10
HOLMES, LAURA
SELF β€’ REAL ESTATE INVESTOR
IndividualBOCA RATON, FL
$3,300
Oct 22, 2024

Donor Network - Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 41 nodes and 29 connections (38 secondary connections hidden)

Total contributions: $109,935

Top Donors - Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]

Showing top 16 donors by contribution amount

16 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 5 helped.

  • +Nuclear Powerconfidence 0.90

    Section 2(c)(1)(A) includes nuclear thermal and nuclear electric propulsion, radioisotope power systems, advanced nuclear fuels, and heater units as focus areas for collaborative R&D, which benefits nuclear power industry through research funding and technology development.

  • +Renewable Energyconfidence 0.85

    Section 2(c)(1)(G) covers ground- and space-based technology for transmission of solar energy collected in space to Earth's surface, directly supporting solar energy research and potential market expansion.

  • Section 2(c)(1)(B) includes modeling and simulation, machine learning, data assimilation, large scale data analytics, and predictive analysis as focus areas, benefiting AI and cloud infrastructure providers through research collaboration and funding.

  • Section 2(c)(1)(E) covers quantum information sciences including quantum computing and quantum network infrastructure, which relies on advanced semiconductors and hardware, providing research opportunities for the industry.

  • +Electric Utilitiesconfidence 0.70

    Section 2(f)(4) mentions potential applications of clean energy technologies such as marine energy, which could benefit electric utilities through grid integration and new renewable energy sources.

Who funds the sponsor on these industries

For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent β€” they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.

Industries this bill HELPS

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