Research in resurgence as House lays out plans to reverse cuts

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is trying to reverse White House attempts to cut funding for climate research across federal agencies and eliminate programmes that promote public interest in science.

The House Appropriations Committee, headed by Nita Lowey, is in the process of amending legislation for the 2020 budgets of research-focused federal agencies including NASA, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

The NSF’s research efforts stand to be a major beneficiary of Congressional intervention, in terms of percentage increase over the 2019 budget. Under proposed amendments, the NSF’s funding for research activities would expand faster than its overall budget—a $586-million rise for research as part of an overall NSF budget $560m bigger than this year’s.