The Department of Commerce (DoC) and its National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are in line for relatively modest top-line spending cuts in fiscal year (FY) 2024 ending Sept. 30 under the FY2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act bill released on Sunday by the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.
The CJS spending bill proposes a total of $68.5 billion of funding.
Last Friday, President Biden signed another short-term spending measure into law, avoiding a partial government shutdown and keeping the DoC and Department of Justice (DoJ) operating at FY2023 funding levels until March 22.
The House and Senate are expected to vote this week on the first bicameral, bipartisan package of six finalized FY24 appropriations bills – which would fund the Federal agencies for the next six months.
“The bipartisan fiscal year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill will help keep our communities and nation secure, further United States leadership in science and innovation, and assist in the growth and prosperity of American businesses,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., chair of the Senate CJS Subcommittee in a March 3 statement.
“This bill makes critical investments that will directly foster economic growth, create good jobs, accelerate exports of American products, enhance safety through accurate weather prediction, and promote innovation throughout the economy,” the senator said. “This legislation also prioritizes many other important policies necessary for America’s future success, including investments in climate resilience, environmental restoration, and space exploration.”
The 196-page bill features investments in a wide range of critical programs, including research and development (R&D) in emerging technologies at several Federal agencies – including NIST and the National Science Foundation (NSF) – that are focused on AI, cybersecurity, broadband, and quantum computing, among other things.
“The Department of Commerce receives $10.8 billion to promote and support American businesses and exports, spur economic development nationwide, maintain current-generation and build next-generation weather satellites that let Americans know about severe weather, create cybersecurity standards, promote economic development nationwide, enable sustainable management of ocean resources, conduct periodic censuses, and more,” the bill summary says.
That marks a slight cut from FY23, when the DoC received $11.057 billion in spending.
Notably, the FY24 legislation grants the DoC $41 million for its Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program, which designated 31 technology hubs across the country in 2023. The Tech Hubs program – authorized as part of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act – aims to develop clusters of businesses, communities, higher education institutions, and workers focused on accelerating innovation and technology deployment across America.
In total, the bill provides $10.6 billion for science and technology programs to implement the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act to help drive U.S. economic competitiveness.
NIST – which the bill proposes to fund for a total of $1.46 billion for FY24, down from $1.65 billion in FY23 – was given up to $10 million to establish a U.S. AI Safety Institute and to implement NIST’s responsibilities under the landmark AI Executive Order released last year. “NIST will develop standards, tools, and tests to help ensure AI systems operate safely,” the bill says.
The bill also includes $175 million for NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Program to improve the competitiveness of domestic manufacturers and strengthen domestic supply chains; and $37 million for the Manufacturing USA program.
The bill also includes a provision to allow the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to access additional funding to implement broadband programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “These programs are critical to connecting every American to high-speed, affordable broadband, and they include the Digital Equity Act Programs, the Middle Mile Program, and the Tribal Connectivity Program,” the bill says.
The bill includes $1.4 billion for construction of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) weather satellites, which are critical to accurate weather prediction needed to protect life and property. That figure is $86 million above the FY23 level. The bill provides resources to maintain the current generation of weather and climate satellites and invests in next-generation satellites.
“One-third of U.S. GDP is affected by climate and weather – affecting farmers trying to protect livestock and crops, cities relying on energy from wind turbines and solar panels, and air travelers simply trying to get home safely and on time,” the bill says. “In 2023, the United States incurred 28 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion, far more than the previous record of 22 in 2020.”
“Despite House Republicans’ attempts to eliminate climate research at the National Science Foundation and other agencies, the bill maintains investments to better understand the world around us. In particular, the bill provides $224 million for climate research at NOAA and $2.2 billion for NASA Earth Science, both amounts are equal to the fiscal year 2023 enacted level,” the bill says.
Notably, the bill includes significant resources to enable the goal of returning Americans to the Moon, providing $7.67 billion for Exploration, an increase of nearly $200 million above fiscal year 2023. The bill supports progress on the Artemis Campaign Development, including funding for NASA to meet all contractual obligations for both Human Landing Systems in fiscal year 2024.
NSF is budgeted at $9.06 billion for FY2024 – a decrease from $9.877 billion in FY23 – while NASA received $24.875 billion – which was funded at $25.4 billion in FY23, breaking a decade-long run of annual budget growth.
So, why the cut to most of the science and tech funds?
In June 2023, Congress approved the Fiscal Responsibility Act as part of efforts to loosen national debt ceiling limits. The law caps Federal non-defense discretionary spending in FY24 close to FY23 levels, while limiting non-defense spending increases to one percent in FY25.
“In recent years, spending on domestic priorities has skyrocketed, adding trillions to our national debt. The House Republican Conference made a commitment to change the trajectory of federal funding and put an end to wasteful spending, especially on initiatives that received billions of dollars outside of the normal appropriations process,” House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, said on March 3. “The final Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills achieve what we set out to do: strategically increase defense spending and make targeted cuts to wasteful non-defense programs.”
