House Passes $224B Spending Bill, Rejecting Deep Cuts to Research
March 5, 2026 · 2 min read
David Almeida
The House passed the FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill with $224 billion in discretionary funding — $50 billion more than the White House requested — setting up a Senate fight over the final numbers.
The package delivers $48.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a $415 million increase over FY2025, and $79 billion for the Department of Education, up $217 million. Both figures represent a bipartisan rejection of the administration's proposed 40% NIH cut and roughly $12 billion in education reductions.
What Survived the Chopping Block
The bill blocks the administration's proposed 15% cap on NIH indirect cost reimbursement rates — a provision that would have devastated university research budgets. Pell Grants hold at $7,395 maximum for the 2026-2027 award year, rejecting a proposed cut of more than $1,000 per student. TRIO, GEAR UP, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants all remain funded.
The Institute of Education Sciences receives $790 million, triple the administration's $261 million request. Funding for minority-serving institutions under Titles III and V was increased despite Justice Department claims that these programs are unlawful.
The Senate Problem
The bill now faces a difficult path in the Senate, where Democratic opposition to Department of Homeland Security provisions in the broader package threatens passage. A government shutdown remains possible if negotiations stall.
Other science agencies also fared well: NSF holds at $8.8 billion, DOE's Office of Science gets a 1.9% increase, and EPA maintains $8.8 billion — all far above the administration's requests. Researchers tracking federal funding shifts can find deadline-aware opportunities on Granted.