Inside (the Beltway) Scoop

By: Ellen Kuo
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Three Major Science Spending Bills Advance

The last of the 12 fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending bills were completed under House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole’s leadership on September 10 funding the National Science Foundation (NSF) at $7 billion, less than the Senate Appropriations Committee recommendation of $9 billion (approximately the same level as FY 2025). The day before, the House Appropriations committee completed the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill. During the full committee markup, efforts to increase funding in the bill were met with resistance when there were no offsets provided and would thus cause a breach of the 302(b) allocation for the LHHS subcommittee. 

A summary of the LHHS bill is available here. The bill summary states it provides $48 billion ($99 million above FY 2025 funding) for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), maintaining America’s edge in basic biomedical research for cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and rare diseases, and supports the Trump Administration’s priority of increasing research for other chronic diseases impacting Americans. In the bill text, under the NIH title, there is no funding for research using human fetal tissue if it is obtained pursuant to an induced abortion. There is also a prohibition on gain of function research either directly or indirectly, as well as prohibiting funding to the Wuhan Institute, Eco Health Alliance, or any lab owned or controlled by the governments of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela, or any other country determined as a foreign adversary by the Secretary of State. Section 235 of the bill also addresses facilities and administrative costs, saying that none of the funds to NIH may be used for facilities and administration costs that exceed 30 percent of an award to an applicable educational institution that is an organization subject to taxation under section 4968 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

There is also no reorganization of the NIH institutes as proposed by the administration. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is provided $945 million available through September 30, 2028, less than the Senate’s $1.5 billion for the same period of time.  

The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies bill was passed on the House floor by only one vote (214-213). Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) said, “...The passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water bill strengthens America by investing in the modernization of our national security and nuclear deterrent, securing American global leadership in new nuclear, funding waterways infrastructure from coast to coast, and reducing our reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals. As Chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I am proud that my bill does important work to revitalize America while being a responsible steward of the American people’s tax dollars. I thank the Trump Administration, Chairman Cole, and my colleagues for their close collaboration and strong support for my bill and urge the Senate to quickly follow the House’s lead and pass my FY26 Energy and Water bill.” The House bill provided $8.4 billion for the Office of Science. The Senate has yet to begin markup of their companion bill and is not expected to do so at this point in time.

In related news, bipartisan-bicameral negotiations to finalize the Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bills are underway and reported to be proceeding smoothly. There are also rumors that the House may combine the Interior-Environment and Transportation-Housing bills for a final vote next month, and that the Senate is considering packaging the Defense and LHHS bills together for consideration on the floor. 

The longer-term fate of the FY 2026 spending bills remains uncertain as both the House and Senate are in recess to observe the Jewish High Holidays. Prior to departing Washington, the House passed a “continuing resolution” (CR) by a vote of 217-212. The CR will temporarily fund government agencies through November 21, 2025. House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said the CR (HR 5371) is “a clean and straightforward CR — free of poison pills — that simply extends government funding until November 21.” 

On September 19, the Senate failed to pass either HR 5371 or an alternative measure introduced by House and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Members Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray. The Democrat-sponsored CR places limits on the administration’s spending authorities, reverses Medicaid changes made in the One Big Beautiful Bill enacted into law in July, and permanently extends existing health care subsidies for those enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans (these subsidies expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends them). In addition, NSF would be required to apportion funds at a rate necessary to maintain research facilities and scientific awards. 
 
The House will not return to Capitol Hill until October 1, the start of FY 2026. Senators are scheduled to come back on September 29. House and Senate Democratic leadership were scheduled to meet with President Trump on September 26 to discuss how to move forward on funding the government. However, the president announced on social media on September 23 that he canceled the meeting, potentially increasing the odds of a government shutdown.