Van Hollen Statement on Committee Passage of Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), released the following statement regarding the CJS Subcommittee's Fiscal Year 2026 funding legislation:

"The bill passed to fund NASA, the Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Justice meets our nation's priorities on a number of fronts. We rejected the reckless, meat ax cuts proposed in the Trump budget and made targeted investments in Americans' priorities - ranging from the safety of our communities to the future of space exploration. Furthermore, we worked to maintain critical funding for a wide array of programs - including investments in NASA Goddard's science missions, the Office on Violence Against Women, efforts to combat gun violence and drug trafficking, and NOAA initiatives that protect our nation from severe weather and bolster the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

"Despite these positive elements, I am deeply disappointed by the grossly partisan process that unfolded in the Committee on the question of the future site of the FBI Headquarters. Despite the initial, bipartisan adoption of my amendment last week, the Republicans made an about-face, and reversed course on addressing the Trump Administration's unauthorized attempt to reprogram funds to move the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building instead of the site selected following a years-long, competitive process, in Greenbelt, Maryland. They put obedience to Trump above the security and welfare of the men and women of the FBI. Given this backwards action, I was unable to support the final legislation.

Let me be clear: the fight over the site of the future FBI headquarters is far from over. We know this project will have additional costs, and the Congress will not support and sustain this abuse of power. Should the FBI ignore the objection to this reprogramming and attempt to move forward, Kash Patel shouldn't get comfortable in his new office. I will continue working to bring the FBI Headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland, and I will not support a penny in funding for a headquarters elsewhere - especially one that does not meet the security and mission needs of the FBI," said Senator Van Hollen.

Key Bill Points & Highlights:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: The bill provides $24.9 billion for NASA, which is $6 billion above President Trump's request and $61 million above the fiscal year 2025 enacted level. The bill rejects the administration's devastating proposal to cut NASA Science by 47% and terminate 55 operating and planned missions and instead provides $7.3 billion. The bill provides $1.6 billion for Astrophysics, including $300 million to complete the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to investigate dark energy and the formation of galaxies and stars and $150 million to ramp up development of the Habitable Worlds Observatory that will search for potentially habitable planets, both of which are being developed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The bill also provides $500 million for the Dragonfly mission to explore Titan, the largest moon of Saturn-led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory-and $100 million to ramp up development of the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) to better understand the Sun's impact on the Earth-led by Goddard. The bill continues support for a new "Earth Observatory," which is a collection of five missions to implement the Earth Science Decadal Survey, and the Landsat Next mission to ensure continuity of the longest space-based record of Earth's land surface.

The bill includes critical resources to support the goals of returning Americans to the Moon and of eventually landing on Mars, providing $7.78 billion for Exploration, which is $117 million above fiscal year 2025. The bill supports progress on the Artemis Campaign, including funding for NASA to meet all contractual obligations for both Human Landing Systems in fiscal year 2026.

Aeronautics is supported at $950 million, $15 million above fiscal year 2025 enacted, to ensure continued U.S. leadership in aviation and to invest in sustainable aviation technologies. The bill rejects President Trump's shortsighted request to eliminate the NASA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement programs and provides $148 million. This includes the Space Grant ($63 million) and the Minority University Research and Education Project ($45.5 million).

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based in Silver Spring, Maryland: The bill provides $6.14 billion for NOAA, $1.64 billion above the president's request. NOAA provides critical weather prediction that people, businesses, and communities rely on each and every day. The bill provides $1.68 billion to maintain the current generation of NOAA weather and climate satellites and to invest in next-generation satellites-$152 million above the President's request.

Maryland's Coasts: Funding for NOAA includes $32 million for the National Ocean and Coastal Security Fund and $81.5 million for Coastal Zone Management Grants, which improve the resilience of coastal communities around the country. It also includes $7.1 million for the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, including $3.25 million for oyster restoration activities-an increase of $1.5 million-and $80 million for the National Sea Grant College program and $14 million for Sea Grant Aquaculture program, all of which support improved health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay.

National Institute of Standards and Technology: The bill rejects the administration's proposal to slash NIST research and standards work by $150 million and instead invests a total of $1.605 billion for NIST, including $1 billion to spur research advances in cutting-edge fields like carbon dioxide removal, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and cybersecurity. The bill also includes an increase of $40 million over President Trump's budget request and the fiscal year 2025 level to repair and upgrade major NIST research facilities, including facilities at NIST's main campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Department of Commerce: The bill provides $10.9 billion for the Department of Commerce. This includes: $60 million for the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub (Tech Hubs) Program at the Economic Development Administration (EDA)-enough for up to four implementation grants for designated Tech Hubs-and $175 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program, including bill language requiring the MEP Program to maintain MEP Centers in all 50 States and Puerto Rico.

Economic Development: The bill provides $426 million for community economic development through the EDA. This includes $60 million for the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) Program-a nearly 50 percent increase as compared to the fiscal year 2025 funding level and enough for EDA to fund two to four implementation grants. This also includes $100 million for Public Works grants, $10 million for the newly-authorized Workforce Training Grant Program, and $50 million for the Regional Innovation Program. Finally, the bill provides $5 million for EDA's Assistance to Indigenous Communities program, which is specifically designed to address the needs of indigenous communities that have historically suffered from a lack of investment in core economic development needs. EDA awards infrastructure and planning grants to all 50 States.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS):The bill includes $211 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security, which supports the BIS's enforcement of Russian and Belarussian export controls and other BIS efforts to counter Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. It also supports stringent export control measures on high-end technologies, like semiconductors, with end users in the People's Republic of China.

Census Bureau: The bill provides a $138 million increase over fiscal year 2025 enacted for the Census Bureau to bolster the agency's preparations for the 2030 Census and its ability to continue producing high-quality data. The Census Bureau's work not only determines congressional apportionment, but it also is relied on to distribute trillions of dollars in federal funds.

Climate Research: The bill supports investments to advance critical climate research. In particular, it provides $224 million for climate research at NOAA, rejecting the administration's proposal to eliminate much of this funding, and $2.17 billion for NASA Earth Science, rejecting President Trump's proposed 53% budget cut.

National Science Foundation (NSF): The NSF is funded at $9 billion, rejecting President Trump's ludicrous proposal to cut federal investment in this essential scientific research and innovation by 57%-which would have plummeted NSF to its fiscal year 2000 funding just as our global competitors are doubling down on their investments. The Senate bill provides $7.18 billion for NSF's research and related activities, level with fiscal year 2025, to help drive U.S. economic competitiveness, including investments in artificial intelligence and quantum information science, and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). NSF's education and training programs to build tomorrow's innovation workforce are funded at $1 billion, rejecting President Trump's proposal to eliminate these programs. This should support more than 10,000 new competitive awards grants and more than 300,000 scientists, technicians, teachers, and students.

Addressing and Preventing Violence Against Women: The bill provides $720 million for grants provided by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). This represents an increase of $7 million above fiscal year 2025 for these lifesaving programs-$215 million more than President Trump's budget request. Funding is provided for multiple competitive and formula grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors, state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, rape prevention programs, lethality assessment and homicide reduction initiatives, domestic violence hotlines, women's shelters, transitional housing, and rural support services.

Continued funding is provided for several OVW programs authorized in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2022, including a restorative justice program and the Abby Honold Act. In addition, $12 million is provided to increase access to sexual assault nurse exams, which will support grants for regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training, salaries for SANEs, Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs), and technical assistance and resources to increase access to SANEs and SAFEs. The bill also includes $10 million in continued funding to incentivize states to adopt laws that protect the rights of sexual assault survivors.

The bill also provides $55 million to support the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. This program supports multi-disciplinary community response teams tasked with developing and implementing comprehensive reform regarding sexual assault, including reducing the backlog of rape kits at law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the bill provides increased funding for other programs that are critical to assisting survivors, including: $79.5 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program; $56 million for Legal Assistance for Victims grants; $51 million for Transitional Housing Assistance grants; $51 million for the Rural Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program; and $12 million for grants to assist governments exercising Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction.

Supporting Crime Victims: The Crime Victims Fund (CVF) provides critical support through direct assistance and programs offered by victim service providers to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes. The bill makes $1.9 billion from the CVF available in fiscal year 2026. Of this amount, $95 million is designated for efforts to assist Tribal victims.

Maintaining Critical DOJ Oversight: The bill rejects President Trump's request to cut DOJ's Office of Inspector General (OIG) by 30%, or $42 million, compared to fiscal year 2025. The bill maintains $139 million to ensure that the OIG can maintain its critical mission to detect waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct at the DOJ.

Strengthening Police-Community Relations: The bill provides $212.5 million for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office grant programs related to police-community relations. Dedicated funding of $25 million is provided for the COPS Community Policing Development program, as well as $20 million for the Law Enforcement Officer De-escalation Act. The bill provides a total of $35 million for three grant programs dedicated to preventing hate crimes and $32 million for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. The bill also provides an increase, to a total of $55 million, for the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, a proven, evidence-based strategy that reduces violence and saves lives that President Trump's budget request seeks to eliminate.

Supporting State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Law Enforcement: The Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program is funded at $569 million, of which $317 million is released from Byrne JAG core funding to states and territories. Funding is also included for programs that support officer mental health and wellness ($10 million), and the purchase of bulletproof vests ($30 million). COPS Hiring is funded at $206 million, which will help hire over 850 more police officers nationwide.

Responding to Substance Use Disorder in Our Communities: The bill provides communities and first responders with a total of $574.5 million in dedicated grant program funding to respond to substance use disorder, including opioids, and to crack down on drug trafficking. The bulk of this funding is for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) grants, which receive $418 million to fund specialized court docket programs like drug, mental health, and veteran treatment courts and substance abuse treatment programs administered by state and local correctional facilities. The bill also funds the COPS anti-heroin task forces program at $35 million and the COPS anti-methamphetamine task forces program at $16 million.

Rejecting Trump's Attempts to Gut Federal Law Enforcement and DOJ Grants: The bill rejects President Trump's proposal to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), while reducing resources for both, thereby gutting the main federal law enforcement agencies charged with enforcing our nation's gun and drug laws and keeping people safe. The bill also rejects President Trump's proposals to absorb International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Washington into the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and to dismantle DOJ's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The bill also continues to fund and maintain all DOJ grant-making components as independent offices, rejecting President Trump's attempts to gut critical resources that help support victims of crime.

Improving Juvenile Justice: The bill provides $380 million for grant programs within the Office on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, an increase of $5 million above fiscal year 2025. The bill increases funding for long-standing programs, including $105 million for Missing and Exploited Children Program grants; $43 million for Victims of Child Abuse Act grants; and $105 million for youth mentoring grants.

Promoting Competition and Enforcing Antitrust Laws: The bill promotes economic freedom and opportunity by guaranteeing at least $245 million in funding for DOJ's Antitrust Division-a record level that is $12 million, or 5 percent, above fiscal year 2025. The bill also includes language allowing the Antitrust Division to retain and use all of the pre-merger filing notification fees it collects in fiscal year 2026-even if those collections exceed the $245 million appropriation for the agency.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC): The bill rejects President Trump's proposal to eliminate LSC and instead provides $566 million for LSC-a $6 million increase above fiscal year 2025. The bill also makes permanent a provision to permit LSC recipients to operate with boards of directors that have as few as 33 percent attorneys without requiring appointment by bar associations, greatly improving recipients' ability to have fiscal experts and community representatives on their governing bodies. Additionally, the bill includes language to reiterate the existing legal requirement for LSC to receive its appropriation as an annual installment, ensuring that LSC recipients can continue providing services without interruption. LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the country, and its grantees serve millions of low-income Americans every year, helping them with family law, domestic violence, housing, fraud, and other legal matters.

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