Just before its Thanksgiving recess, Congress passed stopgap legislation
that will fund part of the federal government at current levels through Jan. 19 and the remainder through Feb. 2. This two-deadline structure was advanced by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who argued the legislation prevents Congress from resorting to its common practice of passing a single massive bill to finalize appropriations for the fiscal year right before the year-end holidays. The Department of Energy is among the agencies funded through Jan. 19 while most other science-funding agencies are in the Feb. 2 group.
Congressional leaders still have not agreed on topline spending limits for agencies in fiscal year 2024, which began on Oct. 1. Uncertainty around budget levels is leading agencies to delay or even pare back their spending. In a particularly stark case, NASA is slowing
work on its Mars Sample Return mission given that the Senate has proposed slashing its budget to $300 million in contrast to the House’s proposal to meet the administration’s roughly $950 million budget request for the mission. The delay in finalizing appropriations will also hamper preparation of the budget request for fiscal year 2025, which is due in early February but often released late.
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