US Senate passes bill to boost federal science spending after White House sought major cuts [View all]

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Source: Reuters

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to approve billions of dollars in funding for federal science agencies, rejecting deep cuts proposed by President Donald Trump in space and other areas.

The Senate bill approved significant science funding for NASA, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration above what the White House had sought. NSF will receive $8.75 billion for research efforts including in quantum information science, artificial intelligence and other areas.

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The Senate rejected nearly all of Trump's cuts to NASA. The president had sought a $6 billion cut from the $24.9 billion budget, but the Senate voted for a much smaller cut, appropriating $24.44 billion.

The bill rejected a proposal to cut NASA Science by 47% and terminate 55 operating and planned missions. The legislation also provides $1.6 billion for Astrophysics, including $300 million to complete a telescope to investigate dark energy and $500 million for the Dragonfly mission to explore the largest moon of Saturn.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-senate-passes-bill-boost-federal-science-spending-after-white-house-sought-2026-01-15/