As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 12, 2026
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars | 2026 | 2026-2031 | 2026-2036 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Spending (Outlays) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Increase or Decrease (-) in the Deficit | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Spending Subject to Appropriation (Outlays) | 0 | * | not estimated | ||||||||
Increases net direct spending in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037? | No | Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? | No | ||||||||
Mandate Effects | |||||||||||
Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037? | No | Contains intergovernmental mandate? | No | ||||||||
Contains private-sector mandate? | No | ||||||||||
* = between -$500,000 and $500,000. | |||||||||||
On This Page
S. 3468 would direct the National Science Foundation (NSF) to allocate $30 million a year from 2026 through 2030 from amounts already available to the foundation to establish a network of up to six cloud-based lab systems, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The systems would need to be programmed to support automated, remotely accessible research. The bill also would require NIST to develop interoperability and data standards and the NSF to report to the Congress on existing laboratory capabilities and program activities.
Using information from the NSF, CBO estimates that the agency is currently funding up to six cloud programming nodes under its general authorities provided by current law at a cost of about $5 million for each node. In addition, the NSF, in collaboration with participating entities, is currently developing the data standards required by the bill. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing the bill’s requirement to establish cloud-based systems and develop data standards would have no budgetary effect.
Based on the cost of similar reports, CBO estimates that the reporting requirements would have an insignificant cost over the 2026-2031 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Katherine Chou. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel
Director, Congressional Budget Office