House Appropriations Committee votes on the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill
Funding for National Science Foundation cut significantly, but Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program receives $175 million in FY26 budget.
In the latest edition of the SSTI Weekly Digest, the organization reports that House Appropriations Committee voted on the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill for FY 2026 spending levels on September 10. Among the agencies included in the bill is annual funding for the Department of Commerce, NASA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The big news is the committee’s recommendation for NSF Research and Related Areas to be cut to $6.373 billion, $803.5 million less than FY 2025. EPSCoR would receive $250 million. The Regional Innovation Engines are tagged as being funded at a recommended level of $205 million.
The Economic Development Administration’s assistance programs appropriation of $256.5 million includes $50 million for grants through the Regional Innovation Programs/Build to Scale program, $41 million for Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs), and $41 million for the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program. The balance of the funding would support traditional PWEDA programs, of which assistance to coal communities would receive $80 million.
The House CJS bill, as approved by the House Appropriations Committee, also includes $175 million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and $37 million for the Manufacturing USA program. For MEP, the committee report is rather explicit in its disagreement with the Administration’s goal of eliminating the program, stating: “The Committee supports the MEP and the continuation of current State awards that bolster the local manufacturing economy. The Committee directs that no less than 85 percent of appropriated funds be allocated directly to MEP Centers through base awards, competitive, or expansion award pilot programs.”
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