Congress left for August recess having accomplished a fraction of what’s needed to complete the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) appropriations process before the end of the fiscal year on 30 September 2025. The House Appropriations Committee passed 9 of its 12 bills, and the full House passed 2 of its 12 appropriations bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed 8 of its 12 appropriations bills, and the full Senate passed 3 of its 12 appropriations bills. It’s important to note that the House appropriations process has been highly partisan, while the Senate’s process is more bipartisan.

In this series of blog posts, we detail funding levels and highlights from the President’s Budget Request, House and Senate appropriations bills for FY26 for the Earth and space sciences.

If you’re interested in engaging your legislators on these issues this August, check out our August Days of Action for opportunities and resources.

Interior and Environment

House Bill and Report

Senate Bill and Report

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

CHANGE FROM FY2025 (funding in millions)	FY25 Enacted	FY26 PBR	FY26 House	FY26 Senate
USGS (Topline)	$1,450.20	$891.56 (-38.5%)	$1,368.39 (-5.6%)	$1,485.35 (2.4%)
Ecosystems	$299.38	$0 (-100%)	$289.78 (-3.2%)	$307.95 (2.9%)
Energy and Mineral Resources	$101.09	$137.07 (35.6%)	$104.68 (3.6%)	$110.59 (9.4%)
Natural Hazards	$198.64	$136.53 (-31.3%)	$190.57 (-4.1%)	$209.44 (0.5%)
Water Resources	$288.77	$223.82 (-22.5%)	$285.21 (-1.2%)	$291.80 (5.4%)
Core Science Systems	$273.22	$165.04 (-39.6%)	$283.22 (3.7%)	$279.72 (1.1%)
Science Support	$105.00	$80.00 (-23.8%)	$82.47 (-21.5%)	$105.00 (0%)
Facilities	$184.10	$149.10 (-19.0%)	$132.49 (-28.0%)	$180.10 (-2.2%)

 HIGHLIGHTS

President’s Budget Request (PBR):

• Eliminates the Ecosystems mission area, including the Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
• Creates a new Geology, Energy & Minerals mission area to advance critical minerals supply-chain analysis.
• As of 28 July 2025, the full proposed budget for the USGS has not been released by the Administration.

 House Bill:

• Maintains at least FY2025-level funding for the Climate Adaptation Science Centers and the Ecosystems mission area, rejecting their proposed elimination by the Administration.
• USGS must report within 90 days on mechanisms to stabilize domestic hardrock and rare-earth mineral markets, and identify additional authorities or resources needed to expand mineral supply science.
• Administrative language maintains longstanding restrictions and preserves USGS authority over topographic mapping and water resource investigations.
• No standalone construction account is provided for the USGS. Infrastructure needs must be addressed through programmatic appropriations or interagency transfers.

 Senate Bill:

• Rejects the elimination of the Ecosystems mission area and provides $4.75 million for harmful algal blooms research, $1 million for PFAS studies in Tribal ceded territories, and full funding for the Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
• Enhances critical minerals mapping and geothermal resource assessments in Alaska and Hawaii, supporting America’s supply chain resilience.
• Funds the ShakeAlert earthquake early-warning system at $36.9 million (plus $4 million to expand to Alaska) and $3.4 million for subduction-zone science.
• Adds $2 million for enhanced land-imaging datasets and $3 million for geospatial program modernization.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science & Technology

CHANGE FROM FY2025 (funding in millions)	FY25 Enacted	FY26 PBR	FY26 House	FY26 Senate
EPA (Topline)	$9,136.67	$4,161.00 (-54.5%)	$7,012.79 (-23.3%)	$8,641.65 (-5.4%)
Science and Technology	$756.07	$500.78 (-33.8%)	$522.41 (-30.9%)	$742.60 (-1.8%)
Environmental Programs and Management	$3,195.03	$2,481.70 (-22.3%)	$2,272.08 (-28.9%)	$2,869.08 (-10.2%)

 HIGHLIGHTS

President’s Budget Request (PBR):

• Under Clean Air, the request zeros out the Atmospheric Protection Program.
• Eliminates the Clean and Safe Water Technical Assistance Grants, the Indoor Air: Radon Program, and the Reduce Risks from Indoor Air Program.
• Increases funding for the Homeland Security Research Program to help communities prepare for, endure, and recover from disasters.
• Cuts the Air and Energy (AE) Research Program by about two-thirds and the EPA’s Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS) Research Program by about one-fourth.
• Halves the EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) Research Program.

 House Bill:

• The Science & Technology Account, which funds all EPA research activities, including core air, water, and chemical-risk studies, is cut by nearly 31%.
• Encourages partnerships with non-federal entities to advance the understanding of wildfire smoke’s impacts on air quality.
• Provides $35 million for competitive grants for nonprofits to deliver technical assistance on water quality, safe drinking water, wastewater treatment for small and rural systems, and private well safety.
• New administrative language authorizes the Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention and the Office of Water to contract directly with students or recent graduates—without standard procurement rules—to tackle backlogs in chemical/pesticide review, groundwater research, and oversight of Community Project Funding.

 Senate Bill:

• Directs EPA to halt all actions related to the closure, reduction, or reorganization of the Office of Research and Development and instructs that any such proposal must be submitted to Congress in the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2027.
• Provides $138.6 million for Clean Air and $33.9 million for the office’s work on Homeland Security

Within Research, the Senate recommends $94 million for air, climate, and energy research; $124.5 million for chemical safety and sustainability; $109.27 million for safe and sustainable water resources; and $19.5 million for national priorities.