Congressional committees defend science budgets

Committees in the House and the Senate have approved budgets that largely maintain existing levels of funding for the major science agencies.

The House appropriations committee approved bills for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy (DOE), NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Agriculture (DOA).

The NSF would lose 1.8 per cent of its $7.3-billion budget. Even though it has lobbied for more funding, it is likely to be relieved that Congress has rejected the steep cuts proposed by president Donald Trump.