Science Agencies to Get Boost Under New US Budget

The bill for fiscal year 2019 increases allocations for NSF, FDA, and others above 2018 levels.

Written byShawna Williams

| 2 min read

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The spending bill passed by the US House and Senate yesterday (February 14) to avert a government shutdown increases appropriations for several science-related government agencies. Others, including certain programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will see a decline. According to a chart compiled by the news outlet FYI Science Policy, all of the science agencies’ budget amounts were higher than those requested by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) budget will increase by 4 percent to $8.1 billion for the year, the same percentage increase the agency received last fiscal year, FYI Science Policy notes in a tweet. The agency has been working to reschedule 111 grant review panels cancelled during the 35-day government shutdown that ended three weeks ago, officials there told reporters on February 1.

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
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Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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