On July 29, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an appropriations package or ‘minibus’ containing seven spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2022, including the bills that fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Energy and Agriculture Departments.
The chamber separately passed spending bills for the Legislative Branch and State-Foreign Operations. Lawmakers were expected to pass the Commerce, Justice, and Science spending bill—which includes funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—on July 30, before heading into the summer recess. However, the bill has been put on hold as a result of disagreements over conditions for state and local law enforcement funding. The measure will now likely be taken up after lawmakers return from their recess in September.
Significant funding increases are slated for most federal science agencies and programs, including a 14 percent bump for the National Science Foundation, a 15 percent increase for NIH, a 25 percent boost for the U.S. Geological Survey, a 23 percent increase for EPA, and a 15 percent increase for the Agricultural Research Service. Read a summary of the science provisions in these bills.
While the House has made significant progress on appropriations legislation, the Senate has yet to begin marking up its spending bills. All 12 appropriations bills must be passed by the House and Senate and signed by the President before the fiscal year ends on September 30 to avert a government shutdown. If all the appropriations bills are not completed before the current fiscal year ends, Congress may consider a stopgap spending measure in the form of a continuing resolution.
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