Policy Update (2 December 2025)

Congress’s top appropriators met before the Thanksgiving break to discuss how to close out the nine remaining FY2026 funding bills. Some time this month, the Senate could take up a minibus package that includes the Commerce-Justice-Science funding bill, which funds NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Congress still needs to determine a path forward on the Energy–Water bill: the House passed its version in September, and the Senate just released their bill and report last week, the latter of which includes roughly flat funding for the Department of Energy's Office of Science. We remain under a Continuing Resolution that funds the government at FY2025 levels through 30 January 2026. You can keep track of the status of all 12 appropriations bills here. For more information on appropriations and general science policy updates, check out: 

• What’s Ahead, The Week of 24 Nov. 2025 (AIP FYI) 
• What’s Happening in Space Policy 30 November – 6 December 2025 (SpacePolicyOnline) 
• December is going to be crazy in DC (Punchbowl News) 

On 21 November, 16 member of Congress — including Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Ranking Member of the House Science Committee, and Rep. Valerie Foushee, Ranking Member for the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee — sent a letter to Robert Steinau, Senior Official at the NASA Office of Inspector General, requesting a formal audit of NASA’s management of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This audit comes after an earlier letter from Rep. Zoe Lofgren to NASA’s Acting Administrator Sean Duffy and NASA’s subsequent response from Cynthia Simmons, Acting Director at NASA GSFC, and Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Last week, AAS President Norman sent an email to the AAS membership in support of our members at NASA GSFC and their long history of technological and scientific impact. 

The General Services Administration announced that the NSF’s headquarters will relocate to another building several blocks away from the current location in Alexandria, Virginia. As reported by AIP FYI, the new building offers 380,000 square feet, compared to the current headquarters’ 690,000 square feet.  

As reported by Jeff Foust, the Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled their hearing for Jared Isaacman’s renomination on 3 December. Mr. Isaacman had his first nomination hearing back in April, before the Trump administration withdrew his nomination a month later.  

On 4 December, the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee will be holding a hearing titled “Strategic Trajectories Assessing China’s Space Rise and the Risks to U.S. Leadership.“ 

AAS, along with 44 other scientific societies, sent a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, urging Congress to fund the NSF at the highest level possible in FY2026 and to direct sustained funding for the STEM Education Directorate. You can read the full letter here.

As a reminder, the AAS released two action alerts urging your members of Congress to support the Keep the STEM Talent Act and support the Protect America's Workforce Act. The AAS has also updated the action alerts urging Congress to support robust funding for astronomy and the prompt passage of FY2026 spending bills for our federal science agencies. Please take a moment today to support the astronomical sciences and the dedicated workforce that drives discovery. 

If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected].