House Appropriations Committee Advances FY 2027 CJS Bill Affecting NSF
House Appropriations Committee Advances FY 2027 CJS Bill Affecting NSF
 
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May 2026

The House Appropriations Committee advanced the FY 2027 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill on a 32–28 vote on May 13 following committee consideration of the measure. The bill includes a less substantial cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF) than the 54 percent reduction proposed in the president’s FY 2027 budget request. However, the $7 billion provided for NSF in the House FY 2027 CJS bill would still represent a $1.5 billion decrease—or a 20 percent cut—compared with FY 2026 appropriations.

The FY 2027 CJS bill would consolidate the STEM Education (EDU) Directorate into the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) account, reflecting a proposal included in the FY 2027 budget request. Accompanying committee report language expresses support for a range of STEM education activities, including programs to improve undergraduate STEM education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, support STEM undergraduate majors and professionals in becoming effective STEM teachers, and develop resources to help preK–12 students learn STEM.

The report language also highlights support for several existing EDU programs, including the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, Centers for Transformative Education Research and Translation, and CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service.

The bill and accompanying report language do not reference the proposed elimination of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate that was included in the FY 2027 budget request. Under the current appropriations structure, SBE is funded through the R&RA account alongside NSF’s other research directorates, with the exception of EDU.

In addition, the report language calls for NSF to pause implementation of public access policies until the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy repeals the 2022 memorandum, “Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.”

The House bill marks an initial step in the FY 2027 appropriations process. The measure was developed on a partisan basis, while the Senate Appropriations Committee has historically pursued bipartisan appropriations legislation. The Senate committee has not yet publicly announced a schedule for consideration of FY 2027 bills, including the CJS measure.

Meanwhile, the House FY 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations bill—which funds the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Institutes of Health—is expected to be marked up by the House LHHS appropriations subcommittee on June 5 and by the full Appropriations Committee on June 9.