Skip to content
News and updates

Category: Budget

Committee releases FY27 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill, including blocking language related to indirect costs

Posted on

Today, the House Appropriations Committee released the FY27 bill for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. The bill will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow, April 30. The text provides a total discretionary allocation of $77.34 billion, a $670 million decrease from the FY26 enacted level. The bill includes $7 billion for the NSF, $6 billion for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, and $5.85 billion for NOAA.

Notably, Section 542 extends indirect cost blocking language, holding the negotiated rates at FY24 levels. This language would block the Trump administration and Office of Management and Budget from imposing caps on indirect costs for federal research grants.

SEC. 542. In making Federal financial assistance, the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation shall continue to apply the negotiated indirect cost rates in section 200.414 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, including with respect to the approval of deviations from negotiated indirect cost rates, to the same extent and in the same manner as such negotiated indirect cost rates were applied in fiscal year 2024: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated in this or prior Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Acts, or otherwise made available to the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation may be used to develop, modify, or implement changes to such fiscal  year 2024 negotiated indirect cost rates.

Full bill text is available here and a summary is available here.

NOAA Budget Request for FY2027 Now Available

Posted on

The NOAA budget request for FY2027 is now available here.  

As previously reported, the budget calls for significant reductions across the agency.  Like last year’s request, this budget includes the proposed elimination of the the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

 

More Information on the Administration Budget Request

Posted on

Pentagon  RDT&E Budget Request

Total Basic Research (6.1):  $2.144 billion (-$207 million compared to FY2026)

Total Applied Research (6.2):  $6.087 billion (-$1.072 billion compared to FY2026)

 Army

  • 6.1 research: $396.1 million (-$129 million)
  • 6.2 research: $914 million (-$608.9 million)

 

Navy

  • 6.1 research: $525.4 million (-$71.1 million)
  • 6.2 research: $935.3 million ($400)

 

Air Force 

  • 6.1 research: $387.1 million (-$20 million)
  • 6.2 research: $1.258 billion (-$338 million)

 

Defense-wide

  • 6.1 research: $800.1 million (+$13.7 million)
  • 6.2 research: $2.746 billion (-$319 million)

 

National Science Foundation (NSF) Budget Request

 Total discretionary funding request:   $3.963 billion (-$4.787 billion compared to FY2026)

Total funding request (including mandatory funds):  $5.103 billion (-$3.887 billion)

  • The total request includes, among other items, $900 million for a new Antarctic Research Vessel from mandatory funds.

 

  • Research and Related Activities (R&RA): $3.409 billion (-$4.706 billion)
  • Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC): $173 million (-$78 million)

 

Within the R&RA account, every directorate would see a decrease, with the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences slated for elimination.

Please continue to check back on the blog for updates.

Agency-Specific Budget Request Documents Becoming Available

Posted on

A number of agencies are making available their specific budget request documents.

  • The NSF budget document is available here. 
  • The budget documents from the Department of Education are posted here. 
  • The initial requests from the Pentagon for its research budget are available here. 
  • The USGS budget document is available here. 
  • The Administration proposes to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in its proposed budget.
  • NASA budget documents can be found here. 
  • Department of Energy budget documents are available here. 

As Expected, Budget Calls for Cuts in Many Areas

Posted on

USGS

As expected, the FY2027 budget proposal calls for cuts at many agencies and in many areas.  This includes programs of interest to UW funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS budget document eliminates the Ecosystems Mission Area, which funds, among other programs, the Climate Adaptation Science Centers and the Cooperative Research Units.

The agency is also seeking to cut funding for the Earthquake Hazards Program by $32 million in FY2027.

We will continue to provide updates on other agencies and programs.