House FY2026 Appropriations Report: NASA, NSF, and DOE Details

The House Commerce, Justice, & Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its spending bill on 15 July. The full Appropriations Committee marked up the Energy & Water Development (E&WD) bill on 17 July. The full Appropriations Committee was scheduled to mark up the CJS bill on 24 July, but this was postponed as the House began its August recess earlier than expected.

Here we outline the main provisions within the FY2026 House CJS bill and the accompanying report, the latter of which provides a deeper look into the spending allocations that the House Appropriations Committee recommends for NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF). We also outline the main provisions for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) found in the FY2026 House E&WD bill and report. 

When dissecting the language of the reports, it is important to remember that not all projects or programs will be mentioned. Specific projects or telescopes are often mentioned strategically by the Appropriations Committee to signal support, concerns, and/or agency expectations. The report can also be used to explain why the House is rejecting certain aspects of the President's Budget Request (PBR) and what the Committee recommends as an alternative. If a specific project is not mentioned by name in the reports, it likely just means that it is not a congressional focus, which is usually not a negative. Finally, this is not a comprehensive list of everything in the reports; we encourage you to look through the reports yourself using the links above.

In the tables below for NASA and NSF, we compare the House recommendations to the FY2026 PBR and the Senate CJS bill and report, which we broke down in a blog post published last week. The Senate recommendations for DOE SC are not yet available.

NASA

The House Appropriations Committee recommends $6 billion for NASA Science (an 18% decrease from FY2024), with $1,485 million for Astrophysics (a 3% decrease from FY2024), $2,500 million for Planetary Science (an 8% decrease from FY2024), and $625 million for Heliophysics (a 22% decrease from FY2024). The House does not recommend funding for the Office of STEM Engagement, following the recommendation of the PBR, but the House does provide funding for EPSCoR and Space Grant under the Safety, Security, and Mission Services account.

Table note: A "-" does not necessarily mean that the Senate isn't funding a specific project. It just wasn't mentioned by name.

The table above outlines the division-level NASA science allocations from the FY2024 enacted budget, the FY2026 PBR, the FY2026 Senate CJS report, and the FY2026 House CJS report. The House report directs NASA to continue making progress towards the scientific goals outlined in the decadal surveys.

Regarding the Planetary Science Division, "the Committee recognizes that continued investments in Planetary Science key technology areas have the potential to advance the scientific understanding of the universe and advance the future of human exploration." The House report expresses strong support for Mars Sample Return (MSR), and directs $300 million "to advance the mission and maintain US leadership in planetary science." The report notes that China is investing in a similar project, and that MSR is helping develop capabilities that are critical for future human exploration missions. The Committee also acknowledges the potential use of commercial partnerships to lower mission costs, and "directs NASA to report to the Committee within 30 days of the enactment of this Act on the potential for commercial partnerships on the mission moving forward."

The report allocates $266 million for the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor Mission and urges NASA to maintain an on-time launch date. The House report directs $20 million for OSIRIS-APEX, $81 million for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), and $494 million for Dragonfly. The House report also recommends no less than $137 million for the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program.

For Astrophysics, the House Committee directs $89 million for the Hubble Space Telescope, $187 million for JWST, and $376 million for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The House also recommends $81 million for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).

For Heliophysics, $20 million is recommended for the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) and "encourages NASA to utilize budgetary mechanisms, including carryover to meet this funding level." The Committee also notes that "MMS will increase the understanding of the behavior of the sun and its interaction with Earth’s magnetic field."

NSF

For NSF, the House Appropriations Committee recommends $7 billion to NSF (a 23% cut from FY2024), including ~$6.4 billion to Research & Related Activities (R&RA) account (an 11% cut from FY2024), $251 million for the Major Research & Facilities Construction (MREFC) account (a 7% increase from FY2024), and $16 million for the Office of Inspector General (a 25% decrease from FY2024). The House report does not recommend funding STEM Education (EDU), though it still recommends funding select STEM EDU programs now within the R&RA account. The report states that "the Committee supports the Administration’s efforts to increase American competitiveness by refocusing STEM investments into programs that serve all Americans."

Regarding R&RA, the cut may, in practice, be larger than 11% since STEM EDU is consolidated within R&RA. The Committee "recognizes the vital role NSF plays in maintaining American leadership in research and supporting US global competitiveness," and directs NSF to prioritize AI and quantum computing research. The House report also states that the Astronomy & Astrophysics decadal survey "has developed a comprehensive research strategy and vision for the future of astronomy and astrophysics, particularly as it relates to ground-based instruments and observatories."

For MREFC, the Committee expresses support for the Leadership-Class Computing Facility, the Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization program, and Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure. Also, it directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to continue annual reviews and semiannual updates on MREFC projects. The Committee underscores the importance of Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey Priority Facilities, including the US Extremely Large Telescope (USELT), and states that:

"The Committee understands that the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 (Astro2020) has developed a comprehensive research strategy and vision for the future of astronomy and astrophysics, particularly as it relates to ground-based instruments and observatories, including the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program (USELT) and the Next Generation Very Large Array. The Committee is encouraged to see NSF taking proactive steps towards advancement to the next phase of the process and notes that this has the potential to unlock additional non-Federal investments. The recommendation provides up to $30,000,000 for continued design efforts. The Committee notes the importance of the USELT program in ensuring continued U.S. leadership in astronomy and safeguarding national security. The Committee directs NSF to continue to provide regular briefings on the status of the USELT program."

The report also directs $6 million for design-related funding for the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA).

For current facilities, "the Committee directs NSF to ensure there is adequate support for operational costs and maintenance at its current facilities, as it considers new astronomy investments." The Committee recognizes the scientific contributions of the Arecibo Observatory (AO), and that:

"Within 270 days of the enactment of this Act, the Committee directs NSF to provide a briefing on a plan to utilize these scientific instruments at the AO in support of active science and scientific research alongside education workforce development. Additionally, to the extent feasible, the Committee requests NSF collaborate on the report with NASA to explore any potential for the AO facility to be utilized for space research and near-earth object detection via ground-based planetary radar."

For Antarctic Research Infrastructure:

"The Committee is concerned about recent announcements to pause Antarctic field research and delay project design for the fourth-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB—S4) and IceCube-Gen2 due to Antarctic infrastructure challenges. The Committee is concerned that delays to CMB—S4 and IceCube-Gen2 threaten loss of U.S. leadership as competitors set up new Antarctic research efforts. No later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act, the Committee requests NSF provide an update on Antarctic research infrastructure."

The Committee recognizes the importance of graduate education and training in increasing talent retention and international competitiveness, and states:

"[The Committee] encourages NSF to develop best practices that enhance graduate education, to study the impact of funding models on graduate student productivity and outcomes, and to set clear mentorship standards in Federally funded projects, including ensuring positive, productive, and learning-focused relationships between mentors and mentees, professional growth, ethics, equity, and assessment practices."

The House report also supports $5.5 million for encouraging STEM in rural communities, and scaling and sustaining STEM education research through collaborations to inform teacher professional learning and development in all STEM disciplines, and "identify[ing] key metrics for scaling and sustaining innovations, and establishing practice-initiated partnerships." The report also recommends $20 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities- Excellence in Research, $26 million for the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, and notes support for STEM undergraduates, including those enrolled at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).

DOE

In the E&WD Appropriations bill and report, the Committee recommends $8.4 billion for the DOE SC (a 2% increase from FY2025). The report notes that the Committee prioritizes funding the SC since it is crucial to scientific leadership, and "the private sector is not likely to fund research whose findings either have high non-commercial value or are not likely to be commercialized in the near or medium term."

Within the High Energy Physics program of DOE SC, the Committee supports the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment and projects that study the " temporal and spatial evolution of cosmic ray and magnetospheric particle data within the giga electron volt energy range." The Committee also recommends $40 million for the Sanford Underground Research Facility and $10 million for the Accelerator Controls Operations Network. In regards to CMB-S4, the report states:

"The Committee supports the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 (CMB–S4) experiment and the recommendations of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel. However, the Committee notes the plan for CMB–S4 has recently undergone major changes. Therefore, the Committee provides no further increase in funding while planning efforts are underway to determine a final path forward for CMB–S4. The Committee will continuously reevaluate this position as new planning and cost estimates become clear."

The E&WD report also addresses indirect cost rates, stating that blanket indirect cost rates do not fully address DOE's research and development work, and states:

"The Committee directs the Department to work with stakeholders to develop new indirect cost rates policies for each of the affected groups stated above that better reflect the unique capabilities of entities that support the Department’s research goals. The new policies shall take into account previous indirect cost rates negotiations that have been approved by the Department. The Committee directs the Department to pause implementation of its previously announced changes while it works to make these updates."

What's Next?

The House Appropriations Committee still needs to mark up its CJS bill and report it favorably to the full House. The House Appropriations Committee may pass amendments that change the text and recommended funding levels outlined above. Both the CJS and E&WD bills still must be passed by the full House. The Senate also still needs to pass the CJS and E&WD bills through the full chamber. There is a possibility that the Senate CJS bill may be voted on by the full Senate before the August recess begins. The E&WD bill has yet to be marked up and reported favorably in either the Subcommittee or the full Appropriations Committee in the Senate.

After both the House and Senate CJS and E&WD bills are passed, each chamber still must agree on the final spending bill before it is signed into law. The timeline for all of these steps is in flux, and we will keep you updated on the policy blog with any major updates. It remains unclear how the House and the Senate will reach a compromise over the differences in their respective spending bills. Congress has limited time to pass all 12 Appropriations bills, and it is increasingly likely that we will be facing a short-term Continuing Resolution or a government shutdown after September 30th.

The House and Senate CJS bills are proof that our collective action in support of science is making a meaningful impact. Thank you to all of those who have taken the time to send emails, make phone calls, or meet with congressional staff. However, the job is far from done. Check out our advocacy page to learn more about how you can continue to make an impact in our ever-changing political landscape.

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