NIH and NSF FY 2014 Budgets Moving Forward

The past couple weeks were busy for research funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee considered and approved the bill that funds NIH. The bill would provide a $307 million (1 percent) increase over FY 2013 pre-sequestration levels. However, even this modest increase is not guaranteed; further action is needed by the full Senate and in the House to set the final NIH budget. In particular, the House has not yet considered its companion bill and pressure to lower overall funding levels will make it difficult for the House to match the Senate’s NIH funding level.

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science considered the bill that funds NSF. The House bill would cut NSF by $259 million (3.6 percent) from pre-sequestration FY 2013 levels. Notably, during the subcommittee’s consideration of the bill, both Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) spoke of the importance of neuroscience research, including the BRAIN Initiative.

The corresponding Senate subcommittee considered their version of the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill a week later. The Senate version would allot a $186 million (2.6 percent) increase over FY 2013 pre-sequestration levels. The differences between the House and Senate levels are a reflection of the different overall budget amounts set by the House and Senate.

Ultimately, the two chambers must agree on overall funding levels or pass a continuing resolution.  If a continuing resolution is passed and sequestration is not reversed, NIH and NSF will be subject to further decreases in their budgets.

Comparison of House and Senate FY 2014 Funding Levels for NIH and NSF with

FY 2013 Pre- and Post-Sequestration Funding Levels