On 12 November 2026 the Senate Appropriations Committee released five draft fiscal year 2027 spending bills, including the Commerce, Justice, Science bill and the Energy and Water bill that set funding for the National Science Foundation, NASA science, NIST, NOAA and the DOE Office of Science. According to AIP’s FYI, the Senate would hold NSF roughly flat at $8.83 billion, while the House bills would cut it by 20%.
What the Senate committee released and when
The committee’s release dated 12 November 2026 lists five bills: Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Homeland Security; Interior, Environment and Related Agencies; and Legislative Branch. Each is accompanied by an explanatory statement. Two other bills, Agriculture-FDA and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, had been released two days earlier. The science figures below come from FYI’s 13 November 2026 report by Lindsay McKenzie, which compares the Senate drafts with the House bills. These are proposed levels in draft bills, not enacted funding.
Senate and House proposals compared
| Agency or account | Senate draft, FY2027 | House bill, FY2027 |
|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | $8.83 billion, up 0.9% from FY2026 | $7 billion, a 20% cut |
| NASA science (Science Mission Directorate) | $7.43 billion (NASA overall $24.87 billion, up about 2%) | $6 billion, a 17% cut |
| DOE Office of Science | About $8.52 billion, up about 1%, including $120 million in previously appropriated funds | $8.525 billion |
| NIST | $1.2 billion, a slight increase | $1 billion, a 13% cut |
| NOAA | About $6.25 billion, up about 1% | $5.85 billion, a 5% cut |
The gap is widest at NSF and NASA science, where the House would cut and the Senate would hold levels roughly steady. For the DOE Office of Science the two chambers are close.
The 11 December stopgap deadline
FYI reports that the current continuing resolution funds agencies through 11 December 2026. Without full-year appropriations or another stopgap, a funding lapse would begin on 12 December. The two chambers would also have to reconcile their different numbers before any final bill. The Senate’s earlier stopgap debate is covered in our report on the Senate continuing resolution and the OMB grant rule.
What this means for researchers and research offices
Draft bills do not change award budgets on their own. For research offices the practical signals are these:
- Planning for NSF, NASA and NOAA-funded work should treat the final level as unsettled until a bill is enacted, because the two chambers are far apart.
- If a lapse occurs, the operating rules differ by agency; see what a shutdown does to grants, reviews and payments.
- The timing of NSF awards depends on how and when appropriations arrive, as explained in how NSF’s budget process affects award timing.
- The political backdrop, including the new House Science Committee leadership, is covered in our midterms report.
