Senate Committee on Appropriations “Full Committee Markup of Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Acts.”

Thursday, July 17, 2025 

Watch the Markup 

Introduction 

The Senate Appropriations Committee continued their work on the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations Acts at another full committee markup on July 17. This markup comes after a dispute over the Van Hollen amendment concerning the FBI’s new headquarters which resulted in an indefinite recess on the CJS bill for the past week.  

Summary of the CJS bill is provided below: 

• The FY2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill includes a total of more than $79.7 billion, a slight increase from current funding. That includes $10.9 billion for the Commerce Department and $36.4 billion for the Justice Department, along with $33.9 billion for science agency, NASA and the National Science Foundation. 

• The CJS appropriations bill provides funding for the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other related agencies.  

More Information. 

Key Highlights 

• Sen. Moran proposed an amendment to strike the Van Hollen FBI Headquarters amendment from the CJS bill. 

• The committee passed the amendment with 15 ayes and 14 nays. 

• Sen. Baldwin proposed an amendment to rectify thousands of grants that were canceled by the Trump Administration for the National Science Foundation. 

• The committee rejected the amendment with 14 ayes and 15 nays. 

• The CJS bill advanced to the Senate floor with 19 ayes and 10 nays as amended. 

Opening Statements 

Full Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) 

Sen. Collins introduced the appropriation bills regarding military construction and veterans’ affairs, while reintroducing the CJS bill. She recognized the hard work of all senators crafting these bills, especially Senators Boseman and Ossoff of the Military Contruction and Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee. Collins expressed her hope to pass the bipartisan CJS bill after the temporary adjournment.  

Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) 

Senator Murray recognized the increasing difficulty of passing bills due to rising polarization and the intent of Senators to cut funding to federal agencies. She warned the precedent of rescissions, emphasizing the need for bipartisanship to pass bills into law for American citizens. She expressed her alarm at the Administration overreaching its ability to pursue budget cuts.  

Subcommittee Chair Jerry Moran (R-KS) 

Sen. Moran underscored the failure of the CJS vote last week was not the fault of Sen. Van Hollen and his amendment. He had no personal objections to Van Hollen’s efforts to represent his state. Sen. Moran emphasized his goal to draft legislation, pass the CJS bill, and not succumb to partisan wills only. Sen. Moran emphasized the need to pass the CJS bill this year and for it to be a product worth 60 votes on the Senate floor. Sen. Moran stated the next step is to put the bill back into the bipartisan position it was in before Van Hollen’s amendment.