House Appropriators Markup FY26 Spending Packages   

The House Committee on Appropriations has released a full slate of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills needed to fund key science and engineering agencies beginning October 1, 2025, including the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Energy & Water (E&W) Development Appropriations Acts.   

The House CJS bill would provide a total discretionary allocation of $76.8 billion, representing a 2.8 percent overall decrease compared to FY 2025 effective funding levels. Key National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) highlights include:    

• $1.2 billion for NIST, which is $122.8 million (11%) above FY25 enacted levels.  $175 million is provided for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership with $37 million of that total going to the Manufacturing USA network.   

• $7 billion for the National Science Foundation, which is over $2 billion (23%) below the FY25 enacted level.   

• $24.8 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which is equal to the FY25 enacted level.  

The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill provides a total of $48.7 billion for the Department of Energy, which is $1.396 billion below the FY25 enacted level. The full House Appropriations Committee approved the E&W bill with a vote of 35 to 27 on July 17th, with further action on CJS and other legislation expected soon. Highlights include:  

• $8.4 billion for the Office of Science, which is $160 million above the FY25 enacted level.  

• $1.7 billion for the Office of Nuclear Energy, which is $110 million above the FY25 enacted level. The bill increases funding for the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability program and continues funding for the Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program to support small modular reactor research, development, and deployment.    

• $1.85 billion for DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs, which is $1.6 billion below the FY25 enacted level.    

• $350 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), which is $110 million below the FY25 enacted level.   

• The House bill aligns with the Trump Administration’s efforts to shut down the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.   

Congress will focus much of its attention on completing the appropriations in the run-up to October 1st. Senate Appropriators also released CJS legislation last week, providing an extra $400 million for NIST and restoring much of the NSF’s budget with a $9 billion total. The Senate’s CJS measure advanced on a 19-10 vote, signaling bipartisan support for increased funding for key science and technology competitiveness initiatives.