Lawmakers boost funding for NIST after proposed cuts
Lawmakers boost funding for NIST after proposed cuts
Publish Date: 2026-01-05 18:44:00
Source Domain: federalnewsnetwork.com
- House and Senate lawmakers rejected the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), opting to instead increase funding in key areas.
- The new appropriations agreement provides $1.8 billion for NIST, an increase over the Trump administration’s proposed funding levels.
- The agreement allocates $1.25 billion for NIST’s research and services division, significantly more than the administration’s request.
- NIST’s “Community Project Funding,” or earmarks, will receive $405 million in funding, contrary to the White House’s proposal to phase it out.
- The agreement maintains funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, against the Trump administration’s proposal to defund it, with strong language forbidding any revision without explicit approval from committees.
- The agreement includes $55 million for NIST’s AI research and measurement efforts, with an additional $10 million to expand its Center for AI Standards and Innovation.
- The funding package also includes $128 million in base construction funding to repair and upgrade major research facilities at NIST’s main campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
