Congress has taken its first formal step in pushing back against the Administration’s proposed cuts to science funding for fiscal year 2027 (FY27). The House Appropriations Committee’s FY27 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill, released this month, recommends funding for NASA, NOAA, and NSF that rejects some of the most damaging elements of the President’s budget request—preserving key research programs, restoring critical infrastructure, and sending a clear signal that the scientific enterprise continues to have support on Capitol Hill.

However, the work is far from over. Funding levels remain below what the science community has called for; the Senate must still weigh in, and nothing is final until a bill is signed into law. Below is a breakdown of what the House recommended for NASA, NOAA, and NSF.

If you’re interested in engaging your legislators on these issues, check out AGU’s Science Policy Action Center for current opportunities.

 

House Commerce, Justice, Science: Bill | Report

 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)

*funding in millions	FY26 Final	FY27 PBR	% Change FY26 to FY27 PBR	FY27 House	% Change FY26 to FY27 House
NASA (Topline)	$24,438.34	$18,829.10	-23.0%	$24,438.34	0%
Science Mission Directorate	$7,250.00	$3,893.90	-46.3%	$6,000.00	-17.2%
Earth Science	$2,153.00	$1,021.20	-52.6%	$1,325.00	-38.5%
Planetary Science	$2,541.20	$1,875.70	-26.2%	$2,500.00	-1.6%
Heliophysics	$874.80	$419.60	-52.0%	$625.00	-18.6%
STEM Engagement	$143.00	$0	-100%	$84.00	-41.3%

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Committee provides $30 million for University Small Satellite Missions across the Science Mission Directorate.

Earth Science

• The Committee provides $7 million for technology demonstrations for instruments capable of operating in spectrum-constrained environments to protect data quality and quantity.
• Landsat Next receives $110 million to continue development of its three-satellite architecture, targeting a first satellite launch in 2031.
• The Committee also highlights the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program, Applied and Responsive Earth Science, the Acres Program, snow data research, and harmful algal bloom (HAB) research as additional Earth science priorities.

Planetary Science

• NEO Surveyor receives $283.7 million to keep its launch on schedule; Dragonfly receives $423.9 million for launch readiness.
• The Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP) receives $218 million; the Committee encourages NASA to consider commercial alternatives to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
• Mars Exploration receives $300 million for future mission technology development, with specific support for the SkyFall Mars Helicopter.

Heliophysics

• The Committee provides $5 million to explore very low-Earth orbit (VLEO) platforms for persistent space weather measurements and encourages public-private partnerships with commercial spacecraft.
• The Committee also supports ongoing reformulation of the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission, including plans to incorporate the DYNAMIC mission.

STEM Engagement

• No dedicated appropriation for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, but two flagship programs are funded directly: $26 million for EPSCoR and $58 million for Space Grant.

 

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)

*funding in millions	FY26 Final	FY27 PBR	% Change FY26 to FY27 PBR	FY27 House	% Change FY26 to FY27 House
NOAA (Topline)	$6,170.94	$4,540.82	-26.4%	$5,851.12	-5.2%
National Ocean Service	$689.70	$330.94	-52.0%	$698.20	1.2%
Oceanic & Atmospheric Research	$633.88	$0	-100%	$620.16	-2.2%
National Weather Service	$1,455.22	$1,540.35	3.3%	$1,600.61	10.0%
NESDIS	$1,665.70	$1,576.47	-5.4%	$1,755.62	5.4%
Mission Support	$424.67	$312.88	-26.3%	$385.41	-9.2%
Marine & Aviation Operations	$461.20	$562.75	22.0%	$515.11	11.7%

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research (OAR)

• The Committee recommends $620 million for OAR—fully restoring the laboratories, cooperative institutes, and research programs the President’s budget proposed to eliminate—and directs NOAA to avoid any closures, consolidations, or program cuts.
• VORTEX-USA and VORTEX-Southeast tornado research programs are explicitly protected at no less than FY26 enacted levels, rejecting the Administration’s proposal to discontinue them; the Committee also calls for new commercial partnerships to accelerate tornado forecasting.
• Marine-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal receives $7.5 million for research, development, and public-private demonstration projects.

National Ocean Service (NOS)

• The Committee rejects the Administration’s termination of IOOS Regional Observations, instead recommending $56 million—$8.5 million (18%) above FY26 levels.

National Weather Service (NWS)

• The Committee recommends $1.6 billion for NWS, including $25 million for the Radar Next next-generation phased array radar program and $40 million to expand the National Mesonet surface observation network.

National Environmental Satellite, Data & Information Service (NESDIS)

• GeoXO receives $677 million (a 36% increase), with the Committee reaffirming that both the Imager and Sounder will fly on East and West geostationary satellites—overriding the Administration’s attempt to narrow the mission—and maintaining the 2032 first launch target.

Office of Marine & Aviation Operations (OMAO)

• Atmospheric rivers monitoring receives $4 million in new funding to support flood and precipitation forecasting research.

 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)

*funding in millions	FY26 Final	FY27 PBR	% Change FY26 to FY27 PBR	FY27 House	% Change FY26 to FY27 House
NSF (Topline)	$8,750.00	$3,963.15	-54.7%	$7,000.00	-20.0%
Research & Related Activities	$7,176.50	$3,409.45	-52.5%	$6,440.14	-10.3%
Education & Human Resources	$938.20	$427.68	-54.4%		N/A
Major Research Equipment & Facilities	$251.00	$172.95	-31.1%	$172.95	-31.1%
National Science Board	$5.09	$3.05	-40.1%	$3.05	-40.1%
Office of Inspector General	$24.16	$18.00	-25.5%	$24.16	0%
Agency Operations & Award Management	$355.00	$359.70	1.32%	$359.70	1.32%

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Committee directs NSF to prioritize research aligned with national security, particularly artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
• EPSCoR receives $250 million within Research and Related Activities; NSF is directed to increase participation of Emerging Research Institutions in federal programs.
• The Committee rejects the Administration’s proposed closures of LIGO and the Green Bank Observatory and supports maintaining research vessels the Administration sought to reduce.
• The Sub-Seafloor Sampling Program (S3P) receives $60 million; NSF is directed to brief Congress on its strategy for U.S. leadership in scientific ocean drilling, including plans for a potential new research vessel.
• The STEM Education Directorate will be consolidated into the broader Research and Related Activities account, in line with the Administration’s proposal.
• The Committee expresses strong concern about the pause in Antarctic field research and delays to CMB-S4 and IceCube-Gen2, and directs NSF to provide a status update on both programs.

The House CJS bill is an important first step, but the FY27 appropriations process is far from over. AGU will continue to engage at every stage and will keep our community informed as the picture develops.

In the coming weeks, we will be publishing additional breakdowns as the House Appropriations Committee advances bills covering other agencies central to the Earth and space sciences. Bookmark this blog and follow AGU’s science policy team to stay up to date as this critical process unfolds.