Senate appropriators advanced fiscal‑2026 spending bills that would largely reject the White House’s proposed slashes to scientific agencies and instead fund research at levels well above the administration’s request. The committee package would deliver roughly $188.3 billion for scientific research overall and restore robust budgets for the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, including targeted investments in quantum, AI and regional innovation. Senate leaders framed the bills as a bipartisan defense of university‑based research that underpins federal grants to campuses and research centers. The measures still fall slightly below 2025 totals but send a signal to universities and research offices planning 2026 grant cycles: Congress intends to sustain federal support for campus research despite executive cuts. (Source: AAAS analysis; Senate appropriations reporting.)