The Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E), a key government agency, will announce a record amount of funding for fusion energy, even as President Trump seeks to cut other parts of the federal fusion budget. The $135 million investment will be made over the next 18 months to accelerate the development of fusion energy technologies. The announcement comes as the 2027 budget proposal seeks to reduce the Energy Department’s fusion energy sciences initiatives from $805 million to $755 million. Despite this, the director of ARPA-Es, Conner Prochaska, said the funds help unlock private investment across startups and venture firms, and that despite lower federal spending, these funds could be compared to China's $6.5 billion.