FY21 Appropriations Bills Advancing in the House
The House Appropriations Committee approved all 12 of its Fiscal Year 2021 spending bills over the last two weeks. Appropriators were challenged by an overall spending cap, set last year, that keeps FY21 spending essentially level with FY20. As a result, increases in spending for specific agencies and programs generally needed to be offset by reductions elsewhere in the budget. Emergency appropriations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are not included in the FY20-21 spending cap.
The FY21 spending cap limited funding in the bills for research and student aid. The panel provided the Department of Defense (6.1/Basic Research), National Institutes of Health*, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Institute of Standards and Technology** with research budgets within roughly 1% of their FY20 levels. Other agencies, including the National Science Foundation (+3.28%), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (+6.57%), Environmental Protection Agency (+4.03%) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (+4.93%) were slated for larger increases. Federal student aid programs were provided modest increases of roughly 2%. The House spending bills set marks for future negotiations with the Senate and White House.
The Senate schedule for consideration of FY21 spending bills is uncertain. The process could pick back up after the August recess. However, there is near certainty that FY21 will begin with a temporary funding measure that keeps government open at FY20 levels until after the election. The conclusion of the process will likely take place either immediately following the election if President Trump is reelected or after January 20th if Joe Biden wins.
| Agency/Office/Program Dollars in thousands, except Pell Grant maximum award |
FY20 Final | FY20 Final % Change from FY19 | FY21 Pres. Request | FY21 Pres. Request % Change | FY21 House | FY21 Senate | FY21 Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense, RDT&E | 104,431,232 | 10.0 | 106,224,793 | +1.72 | 104,348,089 | ||
| DOD, 6.1 Basic Research | 2,603,345 | -0.6 | 2,319,126 | -10.91 | 2,621,477 | ||
| DOD, 6.2 Applied Research | 6,069,765 | 0.0 | 5,391,069 | -11.18 | 5,921,015 | ||
| DOD, 6.3 Advanced Technology Development | 7,400,767 | 0.5 | 7,077,772 | -4.36 | 7,077,772 | ||
| DOD, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | 3,458,321 | 0.8 | 3,566,000 | +3.12 | 3,511,848 | ||
| Department of Education, Pell Grant | 22,475,372 | 0.0 | 22,475,352 | - | 22,475,352 | ||
| DOEd., Pell Grant Maximum | 6,345 | 2.4 | 6,345 | - | 6,495 | ||
| DOEd., Work Study | 1,180,000 | 4.4 | 500,000 | -57.63 | 1,210,000 | ||
| DOEd., Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants | 865,000 | 3.0 | 0 | -100 | 880,000 | ||
| DOEd., Institute of Education Science (IES) | 623,462 | 1.3 | 565,400 | -9.32 | 630,462 | ||
| DOEd., IES Regional Educational Laboratories | 56,022 | 1.1 | 0 | -100% | 57,022 | ||
| Department of Energy, Office of Science | 7,000,000 | 6.3 | 5,800,000 | -17.14 | 7,050,000** | ||
| DOE, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy*** | 425,000 | 16.1 | 22,200 | -94.78 | 435,000 | ||
| Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Science | 716,449 | 1.4 | 484,700 | -32.3 | 745,345 | ||
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science | 7,138,900 | 3.4 | 6,306,000 | -11.67 | 7,097,000 | ||
| National Endowment for the Humanities*** | 162,250 | 4.7 | 33,400 | -79.42 | 170,000 | ||
| National Institutes of Health | 41,684,000 | 6.7 | 38,371,491 | -7.95 | 46,959,000* | ||
| National Institute of Standards and Technology | 1,034,000 | 4.9 | 738,000 | -28.62 | 1,044,000 | ||
| NIST Industrial Technology Services, Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Manufacturing USA | 162,000 | 4.5 | 5,000 | -96.58 | 153,000 | ||
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research | 548,384 | 4.4 | 327,000 | -40.33 | 584,426 | ||
| National Science Foundation | 8,278,330 | 2.5 | 7,700,000 | -7.0 | 8,550,000 |
*NIH increase includes COVID-19 emergency funding. Base increase is 0.65%
**DOE Office of Science provided separate economic recovery infrastructure spending
***Proposed for elimination by the administration