Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved its FY26 Commerce-Justice-Science bill in a 19-10 vote.
Why it matters: The legislation now moves to the Senate floor after a week-long delay due to a dispute over the future location of the FBI headquarters.
- The bill would largely protect science and tech funding, despite President Trump's proposal to slash key programs.
What's inside: Senators have said the legislation provides $9 billion to the National Science Foundation, but the text has yet to be released.
- The legislation will be posted here.
Context: Senate Appropriations' initial 21-6 vote last week had been largely bipartisan, but Democrats took issue with the Trump administration's decision to move the FBI building to the Ronald Reagan Building instead of the approved location in Greenbelt, Maryland.
- After CJS panel Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen's amendment to prohibit the use of federal dollars to relocate the HQ to anywhere but Greenbelt passed, senators on both sides of the aisle switched their votes.
- At Thursday's markup, the committee voted 15-14 to remove Van Hollen's amendment.
- Senators then again switched their votes on final passage.
The House panel in charge of CJS appropriations, meanwhile, advanced its version of the legislation on Tuesday.
- The House GOP's bill takes an axe to science and tech funding, but it doesn't make the deep cuts called for in the president's budget.
- For instance, it would provide $7 billion to NSF — a $2.1 billion cut from last year, but $3.1 billion above Trump's request.
The bottom line: Government funding runs out Sept. 30, and the timing's not looking good for anything but a CR.
