Take Action to Support Research and Development (R&D) Funding for Science
Strong and sustained investments in the federal science agencies — including the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Department of Defense Basic Research Sciences, and the U.S. Department of Energy — enable the United States to stay at the forefront of science, technology, and innovation.
Oct. 1, 2025, marked the start of a new fiscal year, but in what has unfortunately become routine, there are no completed appropriations to show for it. Instead, to avert a government shutdown, Congress has passed a continuing resolution (CR) that will provide flat-funding until Dec. 20. While this averts a near-term funding crisis, continued or full-year CRs mean missed opportunities as new projects are delayed or canceled and inflationary losses stall hiring and growth.
The last Congress demonstrated its commitment to strengthening the U.S. R&D enterprise by passing the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This bill was the most significant piece of science and innovation legislation in a generation, and authorized significant funding increases for the Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science Foundation. However, the impacts of this historic bill will not be fully realized unless Congress supports strong appropriations that build towards these visionary authorizations.
To keep the U.S. competitive, Congress must complete FY2025 appropriations with robust increases to the federal science agencies.