U.S. House supports higher levels of funding for NSF and DOE scienceIt was a great day for science at the U.S. House of Representatives.Two bills were passed by overwhelming majority in back-to-back votes. They would authorize huge spending increases at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energys Office of Science (DOE). The first would double the NSF's annual budget of $8.5 to $17.9billion by 2026. The other would give the Office of Science an additional 63% boost to $11.1billion over the same five-year period.The votes were almost identical, 345 to 67 in favor of NSF (H.R. The votes were almost identical: 345 to 67 for NSF (H.R. 3593. Each bill was supported by two-to-1 margin. Every Democrat voted for it. Liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans agreed that NSF and DOE research was a way for the country to compete against China. However, Republicans stressed the threat from Asia while Democrats pointed out scientific opportunities as the reason for increased spending.The Chinese Communist Party is chasing us and would love nothing more to supplant us in science and technology. Representative Randy Weber (RTX) said that a larger budget would allow NSF funding a greater percentage of its meritorious projects, which would be the single most important thing we can do for the U.S. research enterprise.These two House bills are a more compact alternative to the more expensive and sprawling package that the Senate passed 8 June to address China's growing military, scientific, and economic threat. Both houses voted for large increases in NSF and DOE. NSF would also get a new technology direction to encourage commercialization. The House bill is focused on research, while the Senate bill does not contain provisions relating to research security or the geographical distribution of funding. This is a concern for many science lobbyists.Next, Congress must reconcile these competing visions. This could take several months. Separate legislation related to U.S. Foreign Policy is currently moving through the House. This will likely be added before the House and Senate conferees start negotiations.The additional funding for research cannot be guaranteed, even if the two bodies reach an agreement on a final bill. The appropriations committees of Congress will determine each year the actual spending levels for DOE and NSF. However, by authorizing major increases, both the House and Senate bills allow appropriators ample room and political cover to provide more funding to the agencies.
