Senate Leaders Release FY21 Appropriations Bills
Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee made its Fiscal Year 21 appropriations bills public. The chairman's press release states that "By and large, these bills are the product of bipartisan cooperation among members of the committee." The majority will forgo moving the bills forward for consideration by the Appropriations Committee and full Senate, instead moving to negotiations with the House in order to approve final bills ahead of a December 11th expiration of the current temporary agreement that is keeping the government open. In a separate press release, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee lamented the lack of an opportunity to formally amend the bills before entering negotiations with the House.
The Senate FY21 appropriations bills recommended reductions to Department of Defense research and development accounts and modest increases for other key science agencies including NIH (+4.78%), NSF (+2.41%), DOE Office of Science (+0.37%), and NASA Science (+1.91%). The Senate also recommended an increase of $150 to the maximum Pell award and level funding for other student aid programs.
A final FY21 spending package will likely emerge from a lame duck session of Congress later this month or in early December.
| Agency/Office/Program Dollars in thousands, except Pell Grant maximum award |
FY20 Final | FY20 Final % Change from FY19 | FY21 Pres. Request | FY21 Pres. Request % Change | FY21 House | FY21 Senate | FY21 Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense, RDT&E | 104,431,232 | 10.0 | 106,224,793 | +1.72 | 104,348,089 | 104,080,076 | |
| DOD, 6.1 Basic Research | 2,603,345 | -0.6 | 2,319,126 | -10.91 | 2,621,477 | 2,407,126 | |
| DOD, 6.2 Applied Research | 6,069,765 | 0.0 | 5,391,069 | -11.18 | 5,921,015 | 5,997,677 | |
| DOD, 6.3 Advanced Technology Development | 7,400,767 | 0.5 | 7,077,772 | -4.36 | 7,077,772 | 6,753,939 | |
| DOD, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | 3,458,321 | 0.8 | 3,566,000 | +3.12 | 3,511,848 | 3,491,294 | |
| Department of Education, Pell Grant | 22,475,372 | 0.0 | 22,475,352 | - | 22,475,352 | 22,475,352 | |
| DOEd., Pell Grant Maximum | 6,345 | 2.4 | 6,345 | - | 6,495 | 6,495 | |
| DOEd., Work Study | 1,180,000 | 4.4 | 500,000 | -57.63 | 1,210,000 | 1,180,000 | |
| DOEd., Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants | 865,000 | 3.0 | 0 | -100 | 880,000 | 865,000 | |
| DOEd., Institute of Education Science (IES) | 623,462 | 1.3 | 565,400 | -9.32 | 630,462 | 635,462 | |
| DOEd., IES Regional Educational Laboratories | 56,022 | 1.1 | 0 | -100% | 57,022 | 56,022 | |
| Department of Energy, Office of Science | 7,000,000 | 6.3 | 5,800,000 | -17.14 | 7,050,000 | 7,026,000 | |
| DOE, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy | 425,000 | 16.1 | 22,200 | -94.78 | 435,000 | 430,000 | |
| Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Science | 716,449 | 1.4 | 484,700 | -32.3 | 745,345 | 717,000 | |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science | 7,138,900 | 3.4 | 6,306,000 | -11.67 | 7,097,000 | 7,274,700 | |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | 162,250 | 4.7 | 33,400 | -79.42 | 170,000 | 162,300 | |
| National Institutes of Health | 41,684,000 | 6.7 | 38,371,491 | -7.95 | 46,959,000* | 43,684,000 | |
| National Institute of Standards and Technology | 1,034,000 | 4.9 | 738,000 | -28.62 | 1,044,000 | 1,050,000 | |
| NIST Industrial Technology Services, Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Manufacturing USA | 162,000 | 4.5 | 5,000 | -96.58 | 170,000 | 165,500 | |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research | 548,384 | 4.4 | 327,000 | -40.33 | 584,426 | 552,000 | |
| National Science Foundation | 8,278,330 | 2.5 | 7,700,000 | -7.0 | 8,550,000 | 8,478,000 |