Policy Update (22 April 2026)

The subcommittees within the House Appropriations Committee have begun marking up their fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills. The subcommittee markup for the FY 2027 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) bill, which funds NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF), in addition to other agencies, is scheduled for 30 April, and the full committee markup of the House CJS bill is scheduled for 13 May. The subcommittee markup and full committee markup for the FY 2027 Energy-Water bill, which funds the Department of Energy (DOE), are scheduled for 15 and 20 May, respectively.

The House CJS Subcommittee will also be holding a budget hearing for NASA on 27 April, with Jared Isaacman as the witness. On 22 April, Jared Isaacman will also be the sole witness for a House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee hearing on the FY 2027 President’s Budget Request (PBR). This hearing will occur less than one week after the minority staff of the House SST Committee released a report asserting that NASA implemented the FY 2026 PBR without congressional approval.

Last week, Senator Jerry Moran, Chairman of the Senate CJS subcommittee, expressed his disapproval of the FY 2027 PBR for NASA, saying “it would be a mistake to put money only in the missions related to exploration and not into science and the others.” Representative Brian Babin, Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, also released an op-ed titled “A Vision for America’s Next Era in Space,” stating that “NASA’s strength lies in its breadth. It is not solely a human exploration agency. Science, aeronautics, and technology development are foundational capabilities that enable everything else.”

As reported by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) FYI last week, the NSF is planning to create a study on graduate student and postdoctoral researcher compensation, as recommended by the Government Accountability Office, to fully assess the adequacy of compensation for these groups. An article published in The Hill provides a comprehensive overview of recent challenges at the NSF.

The National Academies released a call for experts (open until 24 April) to “conduct a high-level study regarding current technical and scientific capabilities housed at Goddard Space Flight Center, what capabilities are positioned to ensure long-term success of the NASA mission, including for future cutting-edge scientific discovery and crewed space exploration, and what facilities are needed to house and operate those capabilities.” NASA was instructed to contract this study by Congress in the Joint Explanatory Statement of the FY 2026 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill.

For more science and space policy, check out:

• What’s Ahead: The Week of April 20, 2026 (AIP FYI)
• What’s Happening in Space Policy April 19–25, 2026 (SpacePolicyOnline)

On 16 April, the AAS sent a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership requesting robust support for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, NSF, and the DOE Office of Science in FY 2027. We also urge the Appropriations Committees to ensure that programs and missions continue as congressionally mandated in FY 2026 and 2027.

On 13 April, the AAS submitted a comment to the Federal Communications Commission in response to an application filing by Starcloud to launch and operate 88,000 data centers in low Earth orbit. In the comment, AAS states that “the regulatory approval the Applicant seeks could undermine decades of federal investment in astronomical facilities as well as the ability of astronomers and the public to enjoy and study the night sky.”

AAS and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) hosted 21 students, scientists, and K-12 educators in DC last week for Congressional Visits Day (CVD). Our members met with 45 congressional offices across the Hill to advocate for robust support for science and education funding in FY 2027.