In this final installment of AGU’s blog series on the House Appropriations Committee’s spending bills for fiscal year 2027 (FY27), we cover the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)—two agencies whose funding is spread across three separate appropriations bills and whose work underpins environmental research, public health science and the broader Earth science enterprise.

Below is a breakdown of what the House recommended for DOE Office of Science and NIEHS. If you’re interested in engaging with your legislators on these issues, check out AGU’s Science Policy Action Center for current opportunities.

 

House Energy & Water (DOE Office of Science): Bill | Report

House Labor, Health and Human Services (NIEHS topline): Bill | Report

House Interior & Environment (NIEHS Superfund Research Program): Bill | Report

 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) OFFICE OF SCIENCE

*funding in millions	FY26 Final	FY27 PBR	% Change FY26 to FY27 PBR	FY27 House	% Change FY26 to FY27 House
DOE (Topline)	$49,124.34	$53,900.00	9.7%	$50,359.00	2.5%
Office of Science	$8,400.00	$7,138.82	-15.0%	$8,525.00	1.5%
Basic Energy Sciences (BES)	$2,678.49	$2,146.14	-19.9%	$2,779.09	3.8%
Biological & Environmental Research (BER)	$854.00	$395.97	-53.6%	$800.00	-6.2%
Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI)	$3,033.25	$1,121.74	-63.0%	$1,850.00	-39.0%
ARPA-E	$350.00	$200.29	-42.8%	$300.00	-14.3%

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• EPSCoR receives $35 million within the Office of Science.
• Quantum Information Sciences receives $245 million, including $120 million for research and $125 million for the five Quantum Centers.
• Within Basic Energy Sciences, the Energy Frontier Research Centers receive $130 million; the Batteries and Energy Storage Innovation Hub receive $25.9 million, and the Fuels from Sunlight Innovation Hub receive $20.7 million.
• Biological Systems Science receives $394.9 million, and Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences receives $370.1 million. The Committee expresses support for the Office’s Earth systems research and modeling work.
• The Committee accepts the Administration’s proposal to rename the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI), organized around four portfolios: transportation energy technologies; energy generation technologies; critical minerals, materials and manufacturing; and innovation, affordability and consumer choice. CMEI receives $1.85 billion, including $200 million from prior year balances, with priority given to critical minerals R&D and early-stage R&D activities.
• Citing concerns about cost growth and schedule delays, the Committee directs the Office of Science to assess major projects across the Office.
• The Committee expresses support for the Genesis Mission but requests additional detail on program costs and infrastructure needs.

 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES (NIEHS)

*funding in millions	FY26 Final	FY27 PBR	% Change FY26 to FY27 PBR	FY27 House	% Change FY26 to FY27 House
NIEHS (Topline)	$913.98	$594.10	-35.0%	$913.98	0%
Superfund Research Program (SRP)	$77.10	$51.80	-32.8%	$51.81	-32.8%

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• NIEHS and the Superfund Research Program remain funded under the National Institutes of Health, blocking the Administration’s proposal to relocate both programs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Citing a lack of data on the health impacts of wildland fire smoke as a gap in the nation’s firefighting arsenal, the Committee encourages NIEHS to pursue research evaluating smoke health impacts for communities experiencing different types of wildfire and to develop datasets linking wildfire smoke to health outcomes.

The House has made its opening moves. Now the Senate must make its own. As Senate appropriators take up their own FY27 spending bills in the months ahead, AGU will be monitoring their proposals for the federal science agencies our community depends on and advocating for the investments that the Earth and space science require. Stay tuned to this blog for updates as the process moves forward.