Senate Considers First Spending Package

The Senate agreed to move forward with debate on its first spending package for fiscal year (FY) 2020 through a procedural vote on October 22, 2019. The package includes four of the twelve appropriations bills: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which includes funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST); Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, which includes funding for agricultural research; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which includes funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. The Senate spending bills would provide increases for most science and environmental agencies and programs relative to FY 2019 enacted levels, including a 3 percent increase for NSF, a 4 percent increase for USGS, a 6 percent increase for NASA, a 5 percent increase for NIST, a 2 percent increase for EPA, a 3 percent increase for the Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and a 2 percent increase for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). NOAA, however, is slated for a 2 percent cut in its budget for FY 2020 under the Senate bill. The Senate is expected to pass this first...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news