Senate Passes 2010 Budget Bill With $6.9-Billion for NSF

The U.S. Senate yesterday approved a $65-billion spending bill for the 2010 fiscal year that includes $6.9-billion for the National Science Foundation, which is $426-million more than the agency received last year and $128-million less than the Obama administration’s request. The bill, which also covers the Commerce and Justice Departments, now must be reconciled with a version passed earlier by the House of Representatives, which also approved about $6.9-billion for the NSF.