Several Appropriations Bills Advance in Congress

Multiple spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2019, including the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill, the Energy and Water bill, and the Agriculture bill, have been approved by their respective House Appropriations panels. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) has approved a $62.5 billion spending bill on May 10, 2018, which provides funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The bill would increase funding by $2.9 billion in FY 2019. The CJS appropriations would provide NSF with $8.2 billion in FY 2019, $408 million above FY 2018. Research and related activities, which includes the biological sciences directorate, would be funded at $6.7 billion, $317 million above the current level. The bill also supports infrastructural investments such as modernization of Antarctica facilities, telescopes, and research vessels. The bill would fund NOAA at $5.2 billion, $751 million below FY 2018 and make deep cuts to climate change programs at the agency. The funding would be targeted to priorities such as the National Weather Service, the reduction of harmful algal blooms, fisheries management, weather research, and ocean exploration. The bill would eliminate NOAA’s coastal resiliency grants, a program that helps communities address the effect...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news