House Appropriations Committee seems to be rejecting cuts to a program targeting smaller manufacturers
Instead, they are considering appropriating the long-standing program a total of $175 million in 2026.
Federal News Network reports that House appropriators are rejecting the Trump administration’s proposal to cut funding at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including the elimination of funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. Instead, they are considering appropriating the long-standing program a total of $175 million in 2026.
The fiscal 2026 Commerce Department spending bill being considered by the House Appropriations Committee includes $1.28 billion for NIST. The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subommittee marked up its 2026 appropriations package last week.
Under the House bill, NIST’s overall topline would get an 11 percent increase above the agency’s current funding levels. But the majority of that increase is earmarked for “community projects” specified by lawmakers and not for NIST core programs.
In its proposal to Congress, the Trump administration wrote, “Much has changed in the manufacturing landscape of the U.S. and competing nations in the 37 years since the creation of MEP. As currently envisioned and implemented, the MEP program struggles to deliver meaningful and scaled solutions to the challenges facing American manufacturing, especially in the most critical technology sectors.”
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