HB2628, titled the American Innovation Act, would establish a long-term federal funding plan for basic science and research-related activities across several major agencies. The bill authorizes and appropriates specified annual funding increases from fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 2035, and then ties future growth to inflation beginning in fiscal year 2036. The covered accounts include the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, Department of Defense science and technology programs, the National Institute of Standards and Technology scientific and technical research and services, and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
The bill is structured as a sustained investment measure rather than a one-time grant or program-specific authorization. It also provides that the appropriated amounts remain available until expended, and it defines the covered agency accounts broadly to include the institutes, offices, and centers that make up each of the listed science programs. In addition, it exempts these appropriations from sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act and excludes the bill’s budgetary effects from PAYGO scorecards, signaling an intent to protect the funding levels from automatic across-the-board cuts and budget enforcement offsets.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would significantly increase and lock in federal spending for core science and technology research accounts, affecting appropriations law for NSF, DOE Science, DOD science and technology, NIST, and NASA science. It would also amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act to shield these appropriations from sequestration, and it would alter budget enforcement treatment by excluding the bill’s effects from statutory and Senate PAYGO scorecards. The practical effect would be to elevate basic research funding to a protected, multi-year priority in federal budget law.
Sentiment
The available context shows no committee transcript, recorded vote, or formal opposition statements, so there is no documented debate to measure directly. Based on the bill text, the measure is framed positively around national innovation, scientific competitiveness, and sustained research investment. The absence of votes or hearing material suggests the bill was still at an early referral stage and had not yet generated a recorded legislative consensus or controversy in the available record.
Contention
The main likely points of contention are fiscal and budgetary. Supporters would favor the large, predictable increases for science agencies and the inflation indexing, while critics may object to the size of the mandatory appropriations, the long-term commitment of future federal dollars, and the exemption from sequestration and PAYGO constraints. Another possible issue is the broad scope of the funding targets, which spans civilian science, standards, space science, and defense-related research, potentially drawing scrutiny from members concerned about priorities within the federal budget.