Congress bets billions on basic science—a rare bipartisan bet on the future
H.R. 2628 — American Innovation Act · Filed by Bill Foster (D-IL) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 3, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill authorizes sustained federal funding increases for basic science research across four major agencies—the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science, Department of Defense science programs, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology—from fiscal year 2026 through 2036 and beyond, with annual appropriations growing by inflation. The bill directly benefits researchers, universities, and the scientific enterprise by guaranteeing multi-year funding growth for fundamental research that underpins innovation.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is authorizing multi-year appropriations to federal science agencies. It is straightforward public investment legislation with no private carve-outs, tax breaks, or regulatory changes.
What the text implies
- Inflation-indexed funding after 2036 creates an open-ended fiscal commitment that will compound over decades, potentially constraining future budget flexibility unless explicitly repealed.
- DoD science funding ($23.1B–$43.4B over the period) represents a significant portion of the total and may accelerate dual-use research with military applications, blurring the line between basic and defense-oriented science.
- The bill does not specify how funds are allocated within each agency, leaving discretion to agency leadership and potentially favoring certain research priorities (e.g., AI, quantum computing) over others.
Who it affects
The bill expands public investment in basic science research, which generates long-term economic growth, technological advancement, and public goods (medical breakthroughs, climate solutions, national security capabilities) that benefit ordinary citizens. The funding flows to government agencies and research institutions, not to private corporations, and the research outcomes are broadly accessible.
Who stands to gain
- universities and research institutions (indirect, through grants)
- federal research laboratories
- scientific equipment and materials suppliers
Named in the bill
National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy, Office of Science, Department of Defense, Science and Technology Programs, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI indexing reference)
Where it stands
5 cosponsors: 5 Democrats.
- Apr 3, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 3, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Budget and House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Armed…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI scored this bill from its title only — the full text has not been read; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress bets billions on basic science—a rare bipartisan bet on the future” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr2628 Report an error
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