Congressional News
COSSA’s Analysis of the FY 2027 House LHHS Appropriations Bill for Federal Science Agencies
On June 9, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations bill, which provides annual appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Education, Department of Labor, and other agencies. This is the latest bill advanced by the Committee as part of Chairman Tom Coleās (R-OK) plan to consider all 12 annual spending bills by the July 4 break. While the Senate was scheduled to begin marking up their bills this month, more pressing issues delayed the chamber which…
Senate Departs for July Recess After Appropriations Markups Delayed
Over the weekend, the Senate departed Capitol Hill for a two-week July 4 recess, and are not scheduled to return until July 13, leaving only a few weeks until August recess to consider their appropriations bills. Before their departure, the Senate Appropriations Committee again delayed consideration of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The bill, which was originally scheduled for June 4 and rescheduled for June 25, was postponed alongside several other appropriations bills (see previous coverage). According to recent reports, the Senate Republicansā dwindling majority amidst the recent hospitalization of…
House Science Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Federal Research Funds
On June 24, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled,Ā Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Hearing – Safeguarding Federal Research Funds: The False Claims Act’s Role in Combating Grant Fraud. Witnesses included Robert Steinau, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of the Inspector General; Jennifer Springmann, Special Agent in Charge, National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of the Inspector General; and Brenna Jenny, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice (DOJ).Ā Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) began the hearing by expressing concern…
House Advances LHHS Bill, Senate Delays Markups
On June 5, the House Appropriations Committee released the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The bill was advanced out of the committee in a 34 to 28 vote along party lines. Earlier this year, the Presidentās request called for sweeping cuts to the federal agencies that fund social and behavioral science research (see analysis). While the House bill still includes cuts to several agencies, the House has largely rejected the deep cuts proposed by the Trump Administration. Notably, exceptions include several programs housed under the Department of Education,…
Congress to Review Appropriations Bills Ahead of Midterm Elections
As previously reported, Congress has officially turned to its work on the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills. The House Appropriations Committee has already advanced 7 of the 12 spending bills out of committee, including the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill (see analysis). The House has kept to the schedule they released in April, and is on track to mark up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill later this week on June 5 (watch live here). On the other side of the Hill, the Senate has started working on their respective bills and…
Battacharya Defends NIH Budget to Senate Appropriators
On May 21, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) defended the NIH fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request before the Senate Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee. During the hearing, Bhattacharya fielded concerns from both sides of the aisle about the Trump Administrationās proposed 12 percent cut to the agency (see analysis). In her opening remarks, Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) voiced her support for NIH-funded research, and highlighted the importance of cancer research and supporting rural communities. When remarks turned to Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the Senator pressed the Director…
COSSA’s Analysis of the FY 2027 House CJS Appropriations Bill for Federal Science Agencies
The House Appropriations Committee has begun consideration of its fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills. The Committee is working to approve all 12 funding bills by the end of June. On May 13, the Appropriations Committee reported out the FY 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill, which includes funding proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Census Bureau, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and other agencies. ļ»æAs we saw last year, the FY 2027 House CJS bill includes cuts to federal science agencies but does not go as far as the Presidentās budget request,…
Congress Turns to Appropriations After Returning from May Recess
Following a week-long May recess, Congress has turned their attention toward the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations process. As previously reported, the House has set their schedule for advancing their appropriations bills through May and June. On May 13, the House Appropriations Committee reported out the Commerce, Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) budget billāwhich includes funding proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Census Bureau, and more (see related article). The Committee is also scheduled to review the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) budget billāwhich includes funding proposals for the National Institutes of…
House Releases Science Funding Bill that would Slash NSF Budget
On April 30, the House Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee advanced their fiscal year (FY) 2027 CJS bill along party lines. The CJS bill includes funding proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Notably, the House has once again rejected the 55 percent funding cut to NSF included in the Presidentās budget request; however, NSF would still see a 20 percent reduction under this bill. Included in the bill are the following amounts: More details are expected to be released in the coming weeks when…
HHS Secretary Defends FY 2027 Budget before House Energy and Commerce Committee
On April 21, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the HHS fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which provides oversight to public health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Following his testimony to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee the previous week, Secretary Kennedy again highlighted several priority areas for the Administration, including vaccine efficacy, agriculture and food safety, rural health, national security, and the cost of health insurance and medicine in the…
House Releases Markup Schedule for Science Funding Bills
On April 13, the House Appropriations Committee released the markup schedule for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills. The Commerce, Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies Bill (CJS), which provides annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and the U.S. Census Bureau, is scheduled to be reviewed by the CJS Subcommittee on April 30 with the full Appropriations Committee markup scheduled for May 13. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Bill (LHHS), which funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and…
HHS Secretary Defends FY 2027 Budget to House Appropriations Subcommittee
On April 16, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the Presidentās fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee (LHHS). The hearing highlighted several priority areas for the Administration, including chronic disease, vaccine efficacy, agriculture and food safety, rural health, and cyber and national security. During his opening statement, Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) offered his support to the Administration and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative; however, he stated that it would be unlikely for the Administration and Congress to āagree on areas for reduction.ā He…
House SST Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on the State of Scientific Publishing
On April 15, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing on the State of Scientific Publishing. During the hearing, several members raised concerns over scientific integrity and reproducibility in research, publishing corporations and paper mills, open access to federally funded research, and the potential risks that artificial intelligence (AI) and competition with China pose on the scientific ecosystem. Witnesses included Carl Maxwell, Senior VP for Public policy at the Association of American Publishers; Kate Travis, Managing Editor at Retraction Watch; and Jason Owen-Smith, Executive Director at the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science at…
Trump Proposes Steep Cuts to Federal Funding in FY 2027 Budget Request
On April 3, the Trump Administration transmitted its fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to Congress. Included in the budget request are significant cuts that would decimate the U.S. scientific enterprise, including a repeated proposal to slash the National Science Foundationās (NSF) budget by more than half (see NSFās budget proposal here). The Administration has also proposed eliminating funding for NSFās Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). Notably in previous appropriations bills, Congress has directed the agency to fully-fund the SBE directorate. The Administrationās proposal also repeats several provisions and reorganization proposals from the previous yearās request, including a proposal to…
Sen. Welch Requests GAO Report on Impact of Scientific Research
On March 24, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) sent aĀ letterĀ to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a full review of the economic, scientific, and national security impacts of the elimination of federal funding for scientific research. In the letter, he raised concerns about the Administrationās proposal of a 15 percent cap on indirect rates, arguing it would ācut $5 billion annually from university-based research nationwideā. Further, Sen. Welch highlighted the positive economic impact of scientific research, claiming that cuts to agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) would result in a loss of economic…
Congress Begins FY 2027 Budget Hearings
While Congress continues to grapple with a lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and President Trumpās push to pass theĀ SAVE ActĀ (H.R. 22), Congressional appropriators have turned their attention to drafting fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations legislation. AsĀ previously reported, the House Appropriations Committee set deadlines for submitting funding requests for Members earlier this month. Following in the Houseās footsteps, the Senate Appropriations Committee released their guidance last week. Deadlines for each subcommitteeās requests can be foundĀ here. Congress has also been holding hearings on budget and policy priorities for various departments and agencies, including the National Institutes of…
House Appropriations Committee Holds NIH Oversight Hearing
On March 17, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with testimony from Director Jay Bhattacharya. The hearing comes after Bhattacharya testified in front of the Senate Health, Education, and Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in February (see previous coverage). Bhattacharya, who has also been serving as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director since February in addition to his role as NIH Director, fielded questions on a variety of topics, including the Trump Administrationās delays in grant distribution, indirect costs,…
Congress Kickstarts FY 2027 Appropriations Process; DHS Shutdown Continues
As Congress continues to grapple with the Department of Homeland Securityās (DHS) lapse in funding, House Republicans have reportedly left Capitol Hill for their annual retreat. As previously reported, some Members of Congressāincluding House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL)āare pushing for a second reconciliation package to increase funding for the Department of Defense. Notably, Members on both sides of the aisle have argued against funding the department outside of the normal appropriations bills and, according to recent reports, President Trump may remain unconvinced on the controversial measure. It is likely to be a point of contention during the retreat as…
House Science Committee Requests GAO Review of Federal and State AI Regulations
On February 18, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee requested that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) produce a comprehensive review of Federal and State Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulations. The letter, which was led by Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) and Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Jay Obernolte (R-CA), highlights several legislative efforts taken to regulate AI in recent years and notes that the requested review is intended to āhelp ensure Congress has a clear understanding of the existing regulatory landscape as it evaluates the appropriate path forward for artificial intelligence policy.ā Notably, the Committee pointed to several requests from…
Trump to Deliver State of the Union Address
As previously reported, President Trump is scheduled to give his State of the Union address later today amidst a partial government shutdown as Congressional lawmakers continue to negotiate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bill with no end in sight. The State of the Union is expected to offer a preview into the Presidentās priorities for the year; however, full details are likely to emerge with the delayed release of the Presidential Budget Request. Itās currently unclear when the budget is set to be released. As with tradition, the Democratic Caucus will have the chance to…