Fiscal Impact

Federal Scientific Integrity and Research Stability Act of 2026

This section summarizes the estimated fiscal impact of the Act over 5-year and 10-year windows, using a Congressional Budget Office–style framework. All figures are illustrative estimates.

1. Major Cost Components

• Federal Research Stability Board (FRSB): Approximately $90 million per year for staffing, investigations, IT systems, regional liaisons, and overhead. Estimated at about $425 million over 5 years and $900 million over 10 years.
• Agency Scientific Integrity Implementation: Costs for Scientific Integrity Officers, Scientific Integrity Committees, training, and Research Continuity Plans are estimated at roughly $1.6 billion over 5 years and $3.4 billion over 10 years.
• Transparency and Data Modernization: Building and maintaining the Federal Research Stability Dashboard and upgrading data systems for open research outputs are estimated at about $650 million over 5 years and $1.2 billion over 10 years.

2. Major Savings Components

• Reduced Shutdown and Continuing Resolution Waste: By allowing critical research to continue during funding lapses and stabilizing multi-year planning, the Act is expected to reduce restart costs, contract penalties, and lost work. Estimated savings are approximately $3.1 billion over 5 years and $7.4 billion over 10 years.
• Reduced Research Disruption Costs: More stable funding and continuity reduce repeated experiments, lost samples, and schedule slippage. A modest efficiency gain on long-term research portfolios yields an estimated $1.9 billion in savings over 5 years and $4.2 billion over 10 years.

3. Net Fiscal Effect

When costs and savings are combined, the Act is projected to be modestly deficit-reducing:

• 5-year window (FY2027–FY2031): Approximately $2.675 billion in costs and $3.425 billion in savings, for net savings of about $325 million.
• 10-year window (FY2027–FY2036): Approximately $5.5 billion in costs and $11.6 billion in savings, for net savings of about $1.0 billion.

In summary, while the Act requires new investments in oversight, integrity infrastructure, and data systems, these costs are offset by reduced waste from shutdowns and disruptions, improved efficiency in long-term research programs, and more predictable planning across the federal research enterprise.