FY 2024
President Biden Signs Final Round of FY 2024 Appropriations Bills
With little time to spare, Congressional appropriators came to final agreement on fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding for the remaining six appropriations bills. As recently reported, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law a package containing six of twelve annual appropriations bills, including the bill that funds the National Science Foundation, Census Bureau, National Institute of Justice, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, among other agencies and departments. The latest package was announced this week and contains the following FY 2024 bills: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Defense; Financial Services; Legislative Branch; Homeland Security; and State and Foreign Operations. Of…
Congress Works to Finalize FY 2024 Budget, Looking Forward to FY 2025
The first six of the twelve annual appropriations bills for fiscal year (FY) 2024 were passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden last week. As previously reported, this included funding for the National Science Foundation, Census Bureau, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and other federal agencies and departments. The bills resulted in funding cuts across all agencies, including the National Science Foundation which received an 8.2 percent cut from FY 2023. COSSA’s in-depth analysis for these bills can be found here. The remaining six bills have a deadline of Friday, March 22, leaving only a…
The Latest on the Government Shutdown and Funding Efforts
On February 29, the House and Senate successfully passed a stopgap bill. This legislative action ensures that the government will continue to operate without interruption at least until the next deadlines. The Senate’s approval came with a 77 to 13 vote, showcasing bipartisan support for the measure. The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 1. The stopgap bill is a temporary solution, extending funding until March 8 for a significant portion of government spending, based on a prior agreement aimed at providing a substantial portion of government funding. The remaining federal government funds are set to…
Congress Balances FY 2024 Budget and Supplemental Funding Package as CR Deadline Approaches
As previously reported, Congress is slowly inching closer to the end of their continuing resolution (CR) that expires on tiered deadlines in the first two weeks of March. While House Appropriations subcommittees have received their allocations for their respective bills, it’s still unclear whether Congress will produce the required twelve bills by the deadlines, produce a large or partial omnibus package, or extend the current CR. In past weeks, Congress has been working to pass a National Security supplemental funding package to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and the border crisis. However, this bill has been highly contentious and, while…
NEW ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Protect Science Funding in FY 2024!
Congress is working now to finalize spending legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2024. As lawmakers continue their negotiations it is critical that they hear from the social and behavioral science community. Write to your members of Congress TODAY and urge them to support the highest possible funding levels for federal science agencies in FY 2024! Don’t let funding for social and behavioral science research be left behind. For more details, follow COSSA’s FY 2024 coverage here. Visit COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page to send a quick message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them why they must protect science funding in FY 2024.
Congress Inches Toward FY 2024 Conclusion
As we move further into the fiscal year (FY), lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to work toward finalizing appropriations for FY 2024. As previously reported, Congress pushed its deadline to complete the FY 2024 bills until March, leaving just a few weeks to find agreement across the 12 annual appropriations bills and pass them in each chamber. After months of stalemate, reports suggest that the end may be in sight now that leadership has agreed to top-line funding levels for discretionary spending. COSSA recently issued an action alert calling on the research community to contact their elected offices to urge the highest possible funding levels…
Congress Narrowly Passes CR to Extend Funding to March
As reported by COSSA, Congress previously passed two stop-gap measures to allow additional time to complete the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills. On January 18, the day before the last continuing resolution (CR) deadline, the House and Senate struck a deal to extend funding to March. Like the previous CR, the new stop-gap measure includes “tiered deadlines” for the unpassed spending bills. The deadline for the first tranche of bills (the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD bills) has been extended to March 1. The remaining bills (including Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Commerce, Justice Science, which…
Funding Deal Struck: House and Senate Leaders Take First Step Towards Avoiding Government Shutdown
On Sunday, House and Senate leaders took the first step to avoiding a government shutdown by reaching an agreement to fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2024. This agreement includes a total of $1.66 trillion for discretionary spending in FY 2024. The spending is divided into $886.3 billion for defense and $772.7 billion for domestic discretionary spending. This allocation adheres to the previous deal between President Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which included a $69 billion side deal for non-defense discretionary funding to keep those accounts whole. Under the agreement, the defense budget will receive a 3…
As Congress Prepares for Holiday Recess, FY24 Budget Remains Uncertain
As the year comes to an end, Congress remains no closer to finding a resolution to the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations process. As previously reported by COSSA, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to extend the appropriations deadline to after the new year. Early last week, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) unveiled a supplemental funding bill that would provide $110.5 billion of economic and humanitarian aid to Israel and Ukraine, Taiwan and Indo-Pacific allies and funding to combat fentanyl trafficking and process migrants crossing the U.S. southern border. The bill was halted…
Analysis of the FY 2024 House Appropriations Bills for Federal Science Agencies
In late October, details of the U.S. House of Representatives’ fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills were made public. Before leaving town for the Thanksgiving break, the House—under the leadership of newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)—took initial steps toward passing the bills. However, despite two days of debate, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) appropriations bill—the measure that funds the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and several other agencies of interest to the science community—did not receive a final vote and consideration was punted until after the holiday. The other bill of interest—the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS)…
NEW ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Reject Cuts to Science Funding in FY 2024!
The U.S. House of Representatives is voting this week on fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills that fund social and behavioral science research. The bills in the House propose massive cuts to discretionary spending, including for research. Write to your members of Congress TODAY and urge them to reject these proposals. For more details, follow COSSA’s FY 2024 coverage here. Visit COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page to send a quick message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them why they must reject cuts to science funding in FY 2024.
House Unveils Potential Stopgap Measure and Continues Appropriations Process
On November 11, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) unveiled a potential stopgap funding deal that would extend the current continuing resolution (CR) beyond the current November 17 deadline. The Speaker’s proposal includes “tiered deadlines;” some bills would be extended to mid-January and others to early February (see previous COSSA coverage). Under the draft bill, agencies within the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD bills would receive an extension to January 19 while all remaining bills – including those that fund the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health – would be extended to February 2. The bill would also include a…
House GOP Unveils Potential Stopgap as Congressional Appropriations Deadline Approaches
Congress is back in session and the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations process is underway. On September 17, House Republicans unveiled a draft continuing resolution (CR) that is set to be voted on later this week. The CR would extend the appropriations deadline from September 30 to October 31, and, under the proposal, nondefense discretionary spending would see an 8.1 percent cut excluding the Department of Veterans Affairs and disaster relief accounts while defense would see an increase. It is unlikely that the Democrats will support the bill, and several Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Matt Rosendale…
Fall FY 2024 Appropriations Outlook
As Congress reconvenes this week, attention will return to FY 2024 appropriations bills; however, the path to completing this year’s spending bills remains unclear. House Republicans hope to advance two additional appropriations bills in the coming weeks, specifically focusing on Homeland Security (H.R. 4367) and Defense (H.R. 4365), which would bring the total number of House-passed bills to three (the House passed the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs appropriations bill in July before recessing for the summer). Meanwhile, in anticipation of a likely standoff with the House on appropriations, the Senate is reportedly preparing a stop-gap measure (also known as a continuing resolution) to preempt…
Analysis of the Senate FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee successfully completed work on all 12 of its annual appropriations bills, a feat that has not been accomplished in five years. Among the bills included in the final markup session was the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Bill. The Senate LHHS bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. As previously reported, the Senate appropriations…
Analysis of the Senate FY 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
On July 13, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and reported out its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill. The Senate CJS appropriations bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, and Census Bureau, among other federal departments and agencies. The bill is written in-line with the FY 2024 budget caps that were agreed to earlier in the summer. As part of that agreement, total discretionary spending is capped at $1.59 trillion in FY 2024, a cut of about 9 percent below FY 2023. The share allocated to the CJS bill is…
NEW ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Support the Highest Possible Funding Levels for Social Science!
Congressional appropriators are currently considering fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills that would decimate funding for federal science and statistical agencies. It is critical that we raise our voices in support of robust investment in social and behavioral science research. In response, COSSA has issued an action alert urging members to write to their Members of Congress to urge their support for social science research funding in FY 2024! Visit COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page to send a quick message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them why they must support the highest possible funding levels for federal science and statistical agencies…
FY24 Appropriations Underway, Senate Appropriators to Review CJS Bill
As previously reported in the weeks leading up to the Independence Day recess, several House Subcommittees began their work for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled mark ups for state and operations, financial services, and transportation, in addition to the already reported agriculture, defense, energy and water, homeland security, and legislative branch activities bills. Earlier this week, 21 House Republicans signed a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stating their intent to reject any funding amounts above the FY 2022 levels. Additionally, they urged the Speaker to hold floor considerations until all 12 appropriations bills have been reported. With the slim majority…
FY 2024 Funding Bills Advance, Outlook is Still Murky
As previously reported, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have started moving fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills in recent weeks. The House Appropriations Committee has reported out five of its 12 appropriations bills, including those covering funding for agriculture, defense, energy and water, homeland security, and legislative branch activities. The Senate committee recently approved two bills dealing with military construction/veteran’s affairs and agriculture. On the surface, progress appears to be moving at a decent pace. However, bigger political pressures continue to bog down the annual appropriations process, creating lots of uncertainty about the path forward. Last week before considering its funding for two bills, the Senate Appropriations…
Debt Ceiling Deal Caps Funding for Two Years, House Seeks Additional Cuts
As previously reported, the White House and House Republican leadership agreed to a budget deal late last month that would keep the U.S. from defaulting on its debt, at least until after the 2024 elections. The agreement, passed by Congress as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3746), suspends the federal debt ceiling until January 2025. However, as Republicans have been demanding, the suspension comes with stiff caps on discretionary spending for the next two years. In effect, the caps are likely to result in flat funding for federal research agencies in fiscal year (FY) 2024, with perhaps a few exceptions for…