House Appropriators Complete FY25 Science Bills 

The science budget priorities of House Republicans have come into focus now that House appropriators have advanced drafts of the 12 bills that will fund federal agencies in fiscal year 2025. Republicans said the spending proposals show strong support for science and innovation, but only a few science agencies would receive budget increases if the bills are enacted, in part due to the tight budget caps set by Congress in 2023 to resolve a standoff over raising the federal debt limit.

The Department of Energy Office of Science budget would increase 1.8% to $8.39 billion, building on the 1.7% increase it received for fiscal year 2024. The National Science Foundation budget would increase 2.2% to $9.26 billion and the National Institute of Standards and Technology budget would increase 1% to $1.17 billion, though these increases would not come close to offsetting the cuts both agencies received in the previous budget cycle.

Most other science agencies would receive flat or decreased funding. The National Institutes of Health would remain level at $48.6 billion, as would NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at $7.33 billion, on the heels of a 6% cut last cycle. The bills would also cut research programs at the Department of Defense, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Geological Survey.

Details on the proposals are included in reports written by appropriations subcommittees:

• Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS), which funds NASA, NSF, NIST, and NOAA;
• Energy-Water, which funds DOE;
• Labor-HHS-Education, which funds NIH;
• Defense, which funds DOD; and
• Interior-Environment, which funds USGS.

Some Republican appropriators said they prioritized certain science agencies despite the tight budget environment in order to counter growing competition from China.

“The bill addresses China and its aggressive overreach by making considerable investments in American science agencies,” said CJS Subcommittee Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY) at the markup meeting last week, pointing to the 2% overall increase the bill would provide to NASA as an example. “As China continues to advance their ambitious expedition to the Moon and beyond, it’s more vital than ever that the U.S. maintain its leadership in space exploration, scientific research, and technology advancement,” he continued. 

Rogers said the bill as a whole reflects “tough decisions” that are necessary to help address unsustainable spending by the government. “I must remind folks that just last month the Congressional Budget Office offered a dire $50 trillion debt warning. We can and must do everything in our power to create a sustainable economic trajectory,” Rogers said, referring to a report that projects the debt held by the public is on track to exceed $50 trillion in ten years.

Democrats said Republicans’ spending plans would shortchange certain science agencies, and they decried proposed cuts to environmental research and monitoring programs across multiple agencies. They also criticized provisions in the bills that would block diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across agencies. 

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) said that most of the bill’s efforts to support NASA focus “solely on exploration when we need a wider engagement in space.” Ruppersberger noted that China is strengthening its expertise in space science, yet the bill would provide flat funding to NASA’s science portfolio. “China is our biggest competitor, and they are fully funding their space efforts,” he said.

Subcommittee Ranking Member Matt Cartwright (D-PA) called out the bill’s proposal to cut NOAA’s budget by $676 million. “[NOAA] is where the best climate research on this planet is accomplished. It’s the wrong thing to cut,” Cartwright said. “NOAA advances our understanding of changes to the Earth’s climate, and how these changes affect our economy and our safety. America needs to continue to lead the research into the climate science.” 

Discussing the Energy-Water bill, Subcommittee Chair Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) said its increase of $150 million for the DOE Office of Science will help “ensure America remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation.” 

In opposition, Subcommittee Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said the bill would cut “vital energy and climate programs” at DOE, taking away $1.5 billion from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, for instance. Such cuts amount to “slow-walking energy innovation,” she said. 

Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee has just begun advancing its version of the spending bills but has not released those that cover most science agencies. Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) said in a statement on July 11 that the budget caps set by the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act are too tight and so her committee will pursue emergency funding to increase the nondefense budget by $13.5 billion and the defense budget by $21 billion above the caps.

“As I have made clear — alongside so many members on both sides of the aisle — the one percent increase in funding that the FRA provides for nondefense and defense alike in FY25 is simply inadequate,” Murray said. “That’s why I have been clear that we cannot leave nondefense needs behind as we consider additional funding for defense. So I’m pleased that Vice Chair Collins and I reached a bipartisan agreement to provide much-needed additional funding for nondefense and defense alike.”