Higher Education and National Affairs - Volume XV, Number 15 - Committee Approves $479 Million for NSF

Sep 21, 2026

The House Appropriations Committee approved a $479.9 million budget for National Science Foundation activities for the fiscal year beginning July 1, matching the prior NSF appropriation but falling $45 million below the Administration’s request. Reductions were linked to eliminating NSF’s Project Mohole. The bill funds development grants, expands science improvement and science education programs, includes related NASA support, and extends federal assistance for developing institutions, while discussing GI bill and education-loan provisions and specifying authorized amounts for fiscal 1967–1969, including state-by-state distributions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages8

Reading Time20 min

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Committee Approves $479 Million for NSF

NSF budget and funding changes

Development grants and science education programs

NASA sustaining university program

GI bill and education-loan provisions

Higher education construction bill and procedures

Art funding for academic facilities

Authorized amounts for fiscal years 1967–1969

State-by-state distribution of undergraduate grants

Higher EducationandNational Affairs House Passes $2.9 BillionCollege Construction Bill* * * House Votes $190 MillionFor NDEA Student Loans American Council on Education·1785 Massachusetts Avenue,N.W.,Washington 36,D.C. May 5,1966 Volume XV,Number 15 # Committee Approves$479 Million for NSF The House Appropriations Committee on May 5 approved a $479.9 mil-lion budget for activities of the National Science Foundation in the fiscalyear starting July 1.The amount is exactly the same as NSF's appro- priation for the present fiscal year,but $45 million less than the Administration requested. Much of the cut was due to elimination of NSF's Project Mohole,to drill the earth's core.The committee said the project was proceeding slowly and costing much more than originallyestimated. The NSF funds were contained in a $14 billion bill to finance 23 independent executiveagencies and the Department of Housing and Urban Development in fiscal 1967.In its reporton the bill,the committee said: The committee notes with approval the expansion of developmentgrants for colleges and universities to include smaller institutions andthe extension of the science improvement program to meet some of theneeds of colleges primarily concerned with undergraduate training.The full requests are recommended in these programs. The bill contains $45 million for the science development program—an increase of $5 mil-lion over this year—and $10 million for a new program to strengthen science education incolleges primarily devoted to undergraduate education.In testimony presented earlier thisyear,NSF estimated that about half of the bachelor of science degree-granting institutions inthe country would be eligible for grants.It estimated that the grants would range from$125,000 to $225,000 each. The bill also contains $4.9 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.While the appropriations bill did not specify how much of this amount should be devoted toNASA's Sustaining University Program,the House on May 3 passed a separate bill authoriz-ing $41 million for it.The amount is $5 million less than was provided in the current fiscalyear. Although the appropriations bill carries funds for the Veterans Administration,it didnot include money to implement the new GI bill,providing educational and other benefits for"cold warl veterans.The committee said it anticipates that $250 million for the GI bill willbe requested later. The House of Representatives on May 2 passed the higher educa-tion bill authorizing $2.9 billion in new funds for the constructionof college classrooms,laboratories,and libraries.The bill, HR 14644,extends the Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963 for three more years andgreatly increases the authorized funds in fiscal years 1968 and 1969. The bill was passed by voice vote under suspension of the rules.This is a procedurewhich limits debate,bars amendments,and requires a two-thirds vote for passage.No onespoke against the bill during the half-hour debate. The bill omits an Administration proposal to phase out the National Defense StudentLoan Program and substitute guaranteed private loans.This feature of the Administration'soriginal 1966 higher education bill was deleted by the Education and Labor Committee (seeBulletin,Vol.XV,No.14).The effect of this action was to leave the NDEA loan programin its present form. After House passage,the bill was sent to the Senate,where no hearings on it have beenscheduled as yet. In its report on the bill,the Education and Labor Committee said:'The evidence pre-sented to the committee indicates that the proposed authorizations for 1968 and 1969 areless than what will be required to meet the anticipated needs.The proposed authorizationsare,however,within the program plans projected by the Department of Health,Education,and Welfare.I Also contained in the bill is a one-year extension of Federal assistance to the so-called"developing institutions"under Title

FAQs

What amount did the House Appropriations Committee approve for NSF activities starting July 1?

The committee approved a $479.9 million budget for National Science Foundation activities for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Why was NSF’s funding reduced compared with the Administration’s request?

Much of the cut was due to elimination of NSF’s Project Mohole, which the committee said was proceeding slowly and costing far more than originally estimated.

What changes did the higher education bill make regarding student loan and GI bill implementation?

The bill left the NDEA loan program in its present form by deleting an Administration proposal to phase it out. It also did not include money to implement the new GI bill, with an expectation that $250 million would be requested later.

Sep 21, 2026

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