Congress Shields Science Budgets and Tightens Oversight in FY2026 CJS Bill

Congress cleared the FY2026 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, rejecting proposed deep cuts to major science agencies and embedding enforcement-oriented provisions into law to protect how funds are spent. The move preserves funding for agencies like NASA, NSF, NOAA, and NIST, strengthens guardrails against impoundment, and ties reporting language to statutory requirements to bolster oversight. Lawmakers say the changes empower Congress to enforce budget decisions and will be supplemented by hearings as agencies implement FY2026 funding and prepare for FY2027.