In a rare show of bipartisan consensus, Congress has approved a sweeping package of science and environmental funding bills that reject the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts to federal research agencies — a move that higher education leaders say provides short-term stability for universities still navigating an uncertain federal funding landscape.
The Senate voted 82–15 to pass a minibus appropriations package funding several major science agencies through Sept. 30, following overwhelming approval in the House by a 397–28 margin. The legislation now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Had Congress followed the administration’s budget request, funding for the National Science Foundation would have been cut by 57%, while the science mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration would have seen a roughly 47% reduction. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service, faced a proposed cut of 27%.
Instead, lawmakers opted for far more modest reductions — roughly 3% for NSF and 1% for NASA Science — while preserving core research capacity across agencies that collectively fund tens of billions of dollars in university-based research each year. According to a summary released by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the final bill provides $1.67 billion more than requested for NOAA and $5.63 billion more for NASA.
“We rejected Trump’s plan to slash the funding for scientific research and the National Science Foundation’s budget by 57%, cut NASA’s science budget in half and devastate NOAA and climate research that all of us rely on for accurate weather forecasting,” Murray said in floor remarks Monday. “These bills reassert Congress’s power over key spending decisions.”
Beyond topline funding levels, the legislation includes provisions with direct implications for research universities, particularly around indirect costs — also known as facilities and administrative (F&A) costs — which cover expenses such as laboratories, utilities, compliance, and research support staff.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration attempted to impose a uniform cap on indirect cost reimbursements, a move widely opposed by universities and higher education associations. The new spending package explicitly blocks NSF, NASA, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Energy from altering negotiated indirect cost rates for fiscal year 2026.
“I’m pleased that we restored funding that was proposed to be cut, and I’m also delighted that we dealt with an issue that has been a very high priority for me, and that is how we handle indirect research costs,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a lead negotiator on the bipartisan measure.
That congressional intervention comes amid a broader pattern of legal and legislative pushback against Trump-era efforts to reshape federal research priorities. Courts have already blocked attempts by the administration to cap indirect costs at the National Institutes of Health, and NIH recently settled litigation requiring it to resume standard grant review processes after pausing awards tied to topics the administration disfavored, including diversity, equity, and inclusion.
While the White House initially sought deeper reductions, the Office of Management and Budget signaled support for the final package. “If this bill were presented to the President in its current form, his senior advisors would recommend that he sign it into law,” the agency said in a statement.
Congress now faces a January 30 deadline to finalize remaining appropriations bills, including those governing education and health research. For universities, the current package offers a measure of relief — but also underscores how vulnerable federal research funding remains to political pressure, even as lawmakers continue to assert their authority over the nation’s scientific enterprise.
