Congress Rejects Administration Cuts to Science Agencies in FY26 Funding Bill

Congress Rejects Administration Cuts to Science Agencies in FY26 Funding Bill
Congress Rejects Administration Cuts to Science Agencies; Science agency cuts; Funding for Science Agencies; Science Agencies in FY26 Funding Bill;
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Alec Simantov

Alec Simantov

Alec is a Director in the McAllister & Quinn Research Universities Practice. Alec leverages his expertise on the federal budget and Congress to provide strategic intelligence and oversight on legislative and policy developments, focusing on R&D, science, and higher education policy.

House Advances Bipartisan FY26 Funding Bill

On Thursday January 8, the House passed a funding bill (H.R. 6938) in a bipartisan vote that included full-year appropriations in FY26 for multiple science agencies including the Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The bill was the result of negotiations between Congressional appropriators in the House and Senate that took place over the holiday break and has bipartisan support. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week.

The Bill Includes:

  • $8.75 billion for NSF (+$4.85 billion above the President’s request); with $200 million for NSF Engines;
  • $24.44 billion for NASA (+$5.63 billion above the President’s request); with $7.25 billion for the Science Directorate;
  • $1.85 billion for NIST including community project funding (+$1.02 billion above the President’s request); with $175 million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), rejecting the administration’s proposed elimination of the program;
  • $6.17 billion for NOAA (+$1.67 billion above the President’s request); including $588.9 million for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), rejecting the administration’s proposed elimination of the office.
  • $8.40 billion for the DOE Office of Science (+$150 million above the FY25 level)
  • $350 million for ARPA-E (+$150 million above the President’s request); and
  • $3.10 billion for the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office and $720 million for the Fossil Energy (FE) Office; rejecting the proposed reorganization of these offices within DOE.

Continued Bipartisan Support for Science R&D Funding

Additionally, the bill prohibits any changes to negotiated indirect cost rates and requires these agencies to continue using institutions’ FY24 negotiated rates, rejecting the administration’s attempts to cap indirect costs at 15% across the federal government for institutions of higher education. The bill also prohibits agencies from using appropriated funding to unilaterally close offices and agencies, transfer or move staff, and reorganize departments internally without notifying Congress in advance. Overall, the legislation offers a clear rebuttal of many of the administration’s unilateral actions in 2025 and demonstrates continuing bipartisan support for science R&D funding.

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