Legislative Attempts at Export Reform

Though only one piece of legislation specifically concerned with nuclear export policy was enacted during the Ninety-fourth Congress (1975-1976), efforts during those two years were precursors of the successes of the Ninety-fifth Congress to enact stringent export guidelines. Nonetheless, some authors have viewed congressional participation in nuclear exports as little more than a footnote to executive initiatives. ¹ Indeed, most of the early political history of nuclear exports is made up of congressional acquiescence in broad mandates of power to the JCAE during the nuclear boom years and of executive branch flexibility in opening and strengthening markets for nuclear exports.