House Appropriators Advance FY 2027 Research Agency Cuts

The House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Subcommittee voted on April 30th to advance a fiscal year 2027 spending bill that, while still proposing significant cuts, rejects the deepest reductions to federal science agencies requested by the Trump Administration. The bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $77.34 billion, which represents a $670 million decrease compared to the Fiscal Year 2026 enacted level. The bill passed the full House Appropriations Committee by a 32-28 party line vote, clearing the way for House floor consideration later this summer.  

The Trump Administration’s FY2027 budget had proposed a 55% cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF), a 23% cut to NASA, and the elimination of over $900 million in Congressionally directed spending at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The House subcommittee proposed smaller budget cuts, including: 

• NSF: $7 billion for FY27, an unprecedented 20% reduction from FY26;  

• NASA: $24.4 billion, a flat budget from FY26 levels;   

• NIST: $1 billion excluding earmarks, a $160 million cut from FY26.  

Republican leaders, including Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) and CJS Subcommittee Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY), emphasized the importance of U.S. scientific leadership and praised the Artemis II mission during the markup. Democrats criticized the proposed NSF and NASA Science Mission Directorate cuts as harmful to the research enterprise.  

Appropriators have a shorter working timeline to complete annual appropriations given election year travel demands. The Senate, which has not yet released its own FY27 appropriation bills, is widely expected to propose higher funding levels. Last year, the final enacted numbers tracked closer to the Senate’s proposals but required several additional months of negotiations and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.  

Read more about the House CJS Subcommittee’s bill here.