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The November 2026 elections could change who oversees federal science agencies and how Congress writes the next round of science budgets. But an election cannot, by itself, reverse agency actions already under way or restore disrupted research grants. Any relief will depend on what the next Congress does—and how agencies carry it out.
What could the elections change for science?
The elections may reshape congressional control, committee leadership and the priorities lawmakers pursue in oversight and funding. Those changes could matter as Congress considers fiscal year 2027 appropriations and examines how agencies implement policy. The election result, the balance of power afterward and the substance of future budget and oversight decisions are not yet known as of October 7, 2026.
Congress has meaningful influence over federal science through appropriations and oversight. But it does not make every grant decision: agencies administer programs, select awards and determine when funds are released within the laws and budgets Congress establishes. A change in congressional control is therefore an opportunity to act, not a guarantee of a particular outcome for researchers.
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What happened to research funding in 2025?
Nature’s January 2026 review counted more than 7,800 grants cancelled or frozen during 2025. Its accounting included 5,843 NIH grants and 1,996 NSF grants. Nature reported that court orders led to thousands of grants being reinstated and some universities reached settlements to unfreeze funding. Its analysis estimated that roughly 2,600 grants, representing $1.4 billion in unspent funding, had not been reinstated or unfrozen at the time. The review did not establish how many researchers ultimately received the restored or released money, and these figures are a dated analysis—not a real-time tally.
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The disruption also coincided with fewer new awards than historical averages. Nature reported these comparisons for 2025:
| Agency | 2025 new awards compared with the prior 10-year average |
|---|---|
| NSF | 25% fewer |
| NIH | 24% fewer |
These are comparisons with each agency’s average over the preceding ten years, not year-over-year declines. Nature cited uncertainty and multi-year funding as factors that helped explain the lower award counts. A grant that was delayed, frozen or later restored may still have disrupted a research schedule; the available figures do not quantify how much damage proved irreversible.
Why did Congress’s NIH budget increase not settle the issue?
According to Axios’s 2026 reporting, Congress rejected the administration’s proposed 40% NIH cut and increased the agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget by $415 million, to $48.7 billion. That enacted budget differed from the administration’s proposal and showed that Congress could reject a large requested reduction.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A topline appropriation does not, on its own, determine when grants are awarded, which proposals are selected or how funding is distributed over time. Axios also reported concerns about slower awards and “forward funding”: committing more money up front across multiple years. That approach can provide longer-term support to selected projects, but it may also leave room to fund fewer projects. The appropriation and the agency’s grantmaking practices are related, but they are not the same decision.
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What else has changed inside federal science agencies?
Scientific advisory committees
Nature’s April 2026 analysis reported that the administration terminated more than 100 advisory committees to science agencies and reduced the transparency and independence of committees that remained. The figure does not mean every such committee was terminated. Advisory committees are one channel for expert input; changes to them affect how agencies receive advice, separately from the question of how much money Congress appropriates.
NSF’s stated priorities
NSF’s fiscal year 2026–2030 strategic plan emphasizes critical and emerging technologies, research infrastructure, STEM talent, research security, and economic and societal impact. The agency says the plan was coordinated with the administration, Congress and the science and technology community. NSF Chief of Staff performing the duties of the Director Brian Stone said he looked forward to working with those groups to advance the agency’s mission through the plan’s goals. The plan describes NSF’s stated direction; it does not guarantee appropriations or support for every field, and it should not be treated as a forecast for NIH or other agencies.
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How much of research funding depends on federal agencies?
The federal outlook matters, but the research system is broader than federal grants, and its funding mix has shifted over time. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics’ 2026 indicators report gives these shares of basic-research funding:
| Funding source | 2000 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Business | 19% | 34% |
| Federal government | 58% | 40% |
The 2024 figures are estimates that may be revised. These long-term changes predate the November 2026 election and should not be read as effects of that election or as proof that private funding can replace federal support in every field. The same NCSES report says six agencies—the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, NSF, Department of Energy, NASA and Department of Agriculture—accounted for 95% of federal R&D obligations in 2024. That concentration helps explain why appropriations and agency decisions across several departments matter to researchers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What would count as meaningful relief?
For scientists, an election would translate into practical relief only through later actions. The clearest things to watch are concrete congressional and agency decisions, rather than campaign promises alone:
- Whether Congress enacts fiscal year 2027 funding levels for science agencies, and how those levels compare with agency needs and administration proposals.
- Whether congressional committees use hearings, reporting requirements or other oversight to scrutinize grant delays, cancellations, award practices and advisory capacity.
- Whether agencies change how they implement policy, select awards and release funds, and whether researchers whose grants were disrupted actually regain access to support.
Those questions apply differently across agencies and disciplines. NSF’s stated priorities, for example, do not determine the outlook for NIH-funded biomedical research or every other federal program. A budget increase can be important without resolving grant timing, award selection or the lasting consequences of interruptions.
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