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Advocacy Corner: Appropriations Update

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2024

BEN GOODRICH*
Affiliation:
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
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Abstract

Type
Spotlight
Copyright
© American Political Science Association 2024

FY 2025

Appropriators in Congress have finally concluded the appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2024 after several months of delays, negotiations, and deadline extensions through continuing resolutions (CR). All twelve appropriations bills have been sent to President Biden for his signature, effectively preventing a government shutdown for the rest of the fiscal year. However, a wide swath of education and research agencies received significant funding cuts or had their funding kept flat in the final package compared to FY 2023. Most notably, the National Science Foundation budget was cut by 8.2 percent in the final agreement, which may indicate funding cuts for the agency’s research grant programs this year. Below is a select list of agencies and their final funding levels for FY 2024:

  • National Science Foundation (NSF): $9.06 billion (8.2 percent decrease)

  • National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): $427.5 million (flat funding)

  • National Endowment for the Humanities: $207 million (flat funding)

  • Title VI: $75.4 (flat funding)

  • Fulbright-Hays: $10.3 million (flat funding)

These decreases are the result of a deal agreed to last year imposing strict budget caps on many non-defense federal programs.

FY 2025

Although FY 2024 was just recently finalized, Lawmakers are already looking ahead to next year’s funding outlook. On March 11, President Biden released his budget request for FY 2025, a largely symbolic document laying out the Biden Administration’s funding priorities for federal government agencies for the next fiscal year. This document includes funding requests for federal agencies and programs that provide direct financial support for research or indirectly support researchers through access to records. The following agencies were allocated the following proposed funding levels compared to FY 2023, the most recent finalized year of appropriations:

  • National Science Foundation: $10.183 billion (3% increase)

  • National Archives and Records Administration: $456.327 million (6.7% increase)

  • National Endowment for the Humanities: $200.1 million (3% decrease)

  • Title VI: $73.3 million (2.75% decrease)

  • Fulbright-Hays: $8.2 million (20% decrease)

As a reminder, these levels of funding are not binding, and advocates will have the opportunity to push against cuts throughout this year. APSA will continue to monitor the appropriations situation and inform the membership with any updates. ■

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