Congress suggests smaller cuts to science than the President

FY2027 appropriations activity is now underway, and early signals from Congress suggest a more moderate approach to science funding than the Administration’s proposal. While lawmakers have rejected the steepest proposed cuts, the House has still put forward meaningful reductions of its own, while the Senate is likely to propose either smaller cuts or even increases. At the same time, the Administration continues to slow the release of FY2026 appropriated funds, adding further uncertainty for agencies and stakeholders.

Based on recent precedent, a likely outcome again this year could be flat funding for science agencies, as Congress maintained in FY2026. STM will continue to advocate for sustained and robust federal science funding throughout the appropriations process.

Several FY2027 Appropriations bills also include provisions related to publishing and public access. Most notably, the House-proposed FY27 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill includes legislative language blocking implementation of the OSTP Nelson memo, and accompanying report language directs NSF to pause further public access implementation pending additional OSTP guidance. STM is tracking these developments closely as the process moves forward and advocating in support of publishing.

You can follow the progress and get links to the full text of the bill and report language in a status table provided by the Congressional Research Service, an arm of the Library of Congress.