Appropriations
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 Trump’s push to pass the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), Congressional appropriators have turned their attention to drafting fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations legislation. As previously reported, the House Appropriations Committee set deadlines for submitting funding requests for Members earlier this month. Following in the House’s footsteps, the Senate Appropriations Committee released their guidance last week. Deadlines for each subcommittee’s requests can be found here. Congress has also been holding hearings on budget and policy priorities for various departments and agencies, including the National Institutes of…
Congress Kickstarts FY 2027 Appropriations Process; DHS Shutdown Continues
As Congress continues to grapple with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) lapse in funding, House Republicans have reportedly left Capitol Hill for their annual retreat. As previously reported, some Members of Congress—including House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL)—are 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…
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 President’s priorities for the year; however, full details are likely to emerge with the delayed release of the Presidential Budget Request. It’s currently unclear when the budget is set to be released. As with tradition, the Democratic Caucus will have the chance to…
Analysis of the Final FY 2026 LHHS Appropriations Bills for Federal Science Agencies
Following a brief partial government shutdown, the House of Representatives passed the latest fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding package containing the final budgets for dozens of federal agencies and departments. The package, which comes on the heels of enactment of an earlier omnibus in January (see COSSA’s coverage), includes the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) appropriations bill, funding the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and other agencies, and four other appropriations bills: the Department of Defense appropriations bill, Financial Services appropriations bill, National Security and Department of State appropriations bill, and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development…
Congress Looks Forward to FY 2027 and Eyes Potential Second Reconciliation Package
As previously reported, Congress has neared completion of its appropriations process of fiscal year (FY) 2026, aside from the unfinished Homeland Security appropriations bill which remains under a temporary continuing resolution (CR), following the final passage of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) and Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bills. The final bills for FY 2026 largely rejected the President’s proposal for cuts to several key scientific agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Education, and more. On January 7, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) formally invited President…
House Narrowly Passes Latest Appropriations Package for Science Agencies
As previously reported, the House and Senate passed a three-bill package earlier this month that included fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding for federal science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). COSSA’s in-depth analysis of the CJS bill can be found here. Late last week, the House passed a separate four-bill package that contains the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations bill—which provides funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Institute of Education Sciences…
Congress Returns from Two-Week; Appropriations Front and Center
As previously reported by COSSA, Congress closed out 2025 with a continuing resolution (CR) that ended a historic 43-day government shutdown and punted the appropriations deadline for fiscal year (FY) 2026 to January 31. While there were rumors of a potential second year-long CR for FY 2026, Congress returned from their two-week recess with agreements on final funding levels for several remaining bills. Last week, House and Senate leaders released a three-bill package that includes the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bill—which provides funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Institute…
Appropriations Bills Stalled; Congress to Consider NDAA
As the year approaches its end, Congress is still working to finish the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. Most of the federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR) that gives lawmakers until January 30, 2026 to complete their work (reminder: the new fiscal year began on October 1). With the upcoming two-week recess for the holidays, Congress is on a tight deadline. As previously reported by COSSA, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reiterated that the Senate has plans to consider the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS),…
COSSA 101: “What is Appropriations?”
COSSA is excited to announce the latest brief in our COSSA 101: A Crash Course on the Federal Government series: “What is Appropriations?“ The series will continue to provide easy-to-understand information about the inner workings of the federal government and how they affect social and behavioral science research. Continue to check back on the homepage to discover new briefs. Do you have a federal government topic you would like explained by COSSA 101? Send us your ideas! Other recent topics include, “What is a Government Shutdown?“
Congress Turns to Final Appropriations Bills Following End of Government Shutdown
As previously reported by COSSA, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that extends fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding through to January 30, 2026, ending the weeks-long government shutdown and giving Appropriators additional time to finish their work on FY 2026 funding. Currently, only three appropriations bills have been enacted into law—each having been attached to the CR—including the Agriculture bill, Legislative Branch bill, and Veteran Affairs bill. Despite delays, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reiterated that the Senate has plans to consider the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS), and Transportation,…
Senate Democrats Break Rank to Pass New Spending Package
Late Monday night, seven Senate Democrats and one Independent joined Senate Republicans to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that would extend fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding through January 30, 2026. As a reminder, FY 2025 was enacted under a year-long CR, funding the federal government with FY 2024 levels. Senate Republicans managed to wrangle the necessary 60 votes with support from Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Angus King (I-ME). Several concessions were reportedly made to secure the agreement, including a…
As Shutdown Continues, Federal Employees Face RIFs and Pay Uncertainty
Congress remains at a standstill as the government shutdown continues, with little progress having been made since our previous reporting. As the holiday season rapidly approaches, so too does the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) deadline of November 21, which has failed to pass several times in the Senate. Recent rumors suggest that the Republican-majority may seek to extend the deadline in their version of the bill past the holidays, or as proposed by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO), into December 2026 after the midterm elections. If that were to occur, the federal government would keep FY 2024…
No End in Sight for Government Shutdown as Congress Clashes Over Expiring ACA Subsidies
On October 1, federal funding lapsed in the absence of a budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026, shutting down the federal government for the first time since the historic thirty-five-day shutdown under President Trump’s first term. As previously reported by COSSA, Senate Democrats clashed with the Republican majority over a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that did not address Democrats’ concerns over extending the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, reversing some of the Medicaid cuts enacted in the “big, beautiful bill,” and including language to prohibit funding cuts and pocket recissions. While both parties are generally supportive of extending the ACA subsidies, so far Democrats…
Federal Funding Set to Expire at Midnight with No Solution in Sight
As previously reported by COSSA, federal funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025 is set to expire tonight at midnight. It has been a tumultuous few weeks, with House Republicans passing a continuing resolution (CR) which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21. The bill later failed in the Senate by 44-48 vote with Democrats and Republican Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote for the House-passed CR. Late last week, House and Senate Democrats put forward their own stopgap bill that would extend funding to October 31 with additional funding…
Latest from the White House (September 30)
Potential Government Shutdown is Taken to New Levels All eyes are on Congress this week as lawmakers face a potential government shut down starting October 1 (see related article). Government shutdowns, depending on how long they last, can be incredibly disruptive and damaging to federal agencies, programs, and workers, not to mention Americans who rely on them. Last week, the White House threatened to impose additional pain on the federal workforce if Congress is unable to agree to a temporary funding measure. In a recent email to agency heads obtained by Politico, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed…
Trump Administration Releases FY 2027 R&D Priorities Memo
On September 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued their annual memorandum to federal agencies outlining the Trump Administration’s research and development priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The memo is intended to inform the development of agencies’ FY 2027 budget requests. The memo continues to prioritize critical and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. In addition, the Administration intends to focus on: “energy dominance,” including exploration of polar regions and oceans; national and economic security; health, including chronic diseases; and space exploration. The memo…
Read COSSA’s Analysis of the FY 2026 House LHHS Appropriations Bill for Federal Science Agencies
On September 9, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2026 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. The Senate advanced its bill in July (see COSSA’s analysis). The House bill is a mixed bag for the science agencies important to the COSSA community. Similar to the Senate bill, the Committee rejects the President’s proposals to reduce the NIH budget by 40 percent, cut CDC by…
COSSA Releases Analysis of House LHHS Bill; Congress Considers Short-Term CR as End of Fiscal Year Approaches
As the appropriations deadline rapidly approaches on September 30, both chambers of Congress remain far from completing their twelve annual spending bills. While individual appropriations bills continue to inch forward (see related article), attention in Congress has turned to drafting a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown in two weeks. Earlier today, the House Republicans released the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21 to allow lawmakers additional time to finalize the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. In their release, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) also included a section-by-section explainer on the proposed…
Congress Returns from August Recess; House to Consider LHHS Bill
Congress has returned from their August recess prepared to tackle appropriations as the end of the fiscal year (FY) rapidly approaches. As previously reported by COSSA, both the House and the Senate have released their Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bills but only the Senate has released their Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) bill before leaving for the break (see COSSA’s analyses here). While it’s unlikely they’ll manage to finalize any of their bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, the House LHHS Appropriations subcommittee plans to mark up their version of the LHHS bill later…
Senate Releases Spending Bills, Republican Senators Push Back Against NIH Funding Delays
Before departing for August Recess, the Senate advanced several bills through the Appropriations Committee, including the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bill, and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) bill (previous COSSA coverage). Both the Senate CJS and LHHS bills included relatively flat funding levels, rejecting the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump Administration earlier this year (see COSSA’s analysis). Notably, on July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a mark-up for the LHHS bill in which several amendments were offered, including Senator Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) call for the Trump Administration to restore all grants that had been terminated. The…