The House and Senate Appropriations Committees continued work on their FY19 spending bills this week. The House Appropriations Committee marked up its Financial Services spending bill in subcommittee and its Transportation HUD spending bill in full committee. The committee was scheduled to mark up its Interior Environment spending bill in full committee on Tuesday, but postponed the markup as the chairman was ill.

The House will consider a minibus FY19 appropriations package on the House floor when they return the week of June 4. The minibus will include the Energy & Water, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch spending bills. These three bills tend to be less controversial and easier to pass. Members of Congress wishing to offer amendments to this minibus spending bill must submit them by 10 am on Wednesday, May 30.

The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up their Energy & Water and Agriculture spending bills in subcommittee and full committee this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that the Senate will follow the House lead on considering bills in a minibus strategy and will begin taking up their bills in June.

House

House FY19 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill

The House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee marked up and reported out its $23.4B FY19 spending bill this week. The bill provides funding for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Small Business Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and other related agencies. The proposed overall FY19 funding level for the bill is equal to the FY18 enacted level.

The bill funds the Internal Revenue Service at $11.6B (increase of $186M over FY18), the FCC at $355M, the SBA at $737M, the General Services Administration at $8.6B, and the SEC at $1.66B ($201M below FY18. The bill also includes $150M for the Technology Modernization Fund for upgrades and improvements to IT systems across the government.

The bill also includes some policy riders that prohibit the following: federal and local funds from being used for abortion, further marijuana legalization, federal funds from being used for needle exchanges and the supervised consumption of any Schedule I substances in the District of Columbia, funds for the DC Death with Dignity Act and fully repeals the local legislation, funds for enforcement of the DC Reproductive Non-Discrimination Act, the use of funds in the Federal Employee Health Benefits program for abortion, funding to require that entities applying for or conducting work under federal contracts disclose campaign contributions. And the bill includes a provision maintaining the six-day mail delivery requirement for the Postal Service.

House FY19 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP23/20180524/108372/BILLS-115-SC-AP-FY2019-FServices-FSGGBill.pdf

House FY19 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill Summary

https://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395326

House FY19 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved its $71.8B FY19 Transportation HUD spending bill by a vote of 34 to 17. The bill is $1.5B over the FY18 enacted level and $23.8B above the President’s FY18 budget request. The bill includes $27.8B for the Department of Transportation ($542M above FY18) and $43.6B for the Department of Housing and Urban Development ($941M above FY18).

The full committee adopted the following amendments to the bill:

• Diaz-Balart – The manager’s amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
• Fleischmann – The amendment adds report language directing the Department of Transportation to report on any updated findings on the impact of increasing the length of twin-trailer trucks to 33 feet. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
• Wasserman Schultz – The amendment adds $46 million to the Housing for the Elderly program, offset by a decrease in highway grants. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.

House FY19 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20180523/108366/BILLS-115-FC-AP-FY2019-AP00-THUD_Bill.pdf

House FY19 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill Summary

https://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395298

House FY19 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill Report Language

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20180523/108366/HRPT-115-HR.pdf

OMB Letter to the House on the FY19 THUD Appropriations Bill

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/frelinghuysen_transportation_housing_urban_development_letter.pdf

Senate

Senate FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its $145.1B FY19 Agriculture spending bill in subcommittee and full committee, and reported the measure out of full committee by a vote of 31-0. The FY19 recommended funding level is $710M below the FY18 enacted level. The discretionary funding level of $23.235B is $225M above the FY18 enacted level. Mandatory funding in the bill totals $121.8B.

Senate FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Text

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FY2019%20Agriculture%20Appropriations%20Act,%20S.2976.pdf

Senate FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Summary

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/committee-advances-fy2019-agriculture-appropriations-bill

Senate FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Report Language

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FY2019%20Agriculture%20Appropriations%20Act,%20Report%20115-259.pdf

Senate FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Manager’s Package

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/052418-FY19%20Ag%20Manager’s%20Package1.pdf

Senate FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its $43.8B FY19 Energy & Water spending bill in subcommittee and full committee this week and reported the bill out of full committee by a vote of 30-1. The FY19 recommended funding level is $566M over the FY18 enacted level.

Senate FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Text

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FY2019%20Energy%20&%20Water%20Development%20Appropriations%20Act,%20S.2975.pdf

Senate FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Summary

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/committee-approves-fy2019-energy-and-water-development-appropriations-bill

 Senate FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Report Language

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FY2019%20Energy%20&%20Water%20Development%20Appropriations%20Act,%20Report%20115-258.pdf

Senate FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Manager’s Package

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/052418%20-%20FY19%20EWD%20Manager’s%20Package2.pdf

FY2019 Appropriations Bills Status

The House Appropriations Committee continued marking up its FY2019 appropriations bills this week and reported out of committee two of its 12 spending bills – the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Legislative Branch bills. The House also marked up the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Energy & Water spending bills in subcommittee. The Agriculture and Energy & Water bills will be marked up in full committee next week. And the Transportation HUD subcommittee will mark up its FY19 spending bill in subcommittee next week.

On the Senate side, Senate Labor HHS Education Appropriations subcommittee chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) said that he and the other subcommittee chairman received their 302(b) allocations this week. Blunt believes that his subcommittee’s bill will be marked up in full committee in late June, which will be one of the later markups.

House Agriculture Appropriations Bill

The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its $23.27B spending bill this week. The bill is $14M above the FY18 enacted level, but when including both discretionary and mandatory funding it is $922M below FY18.

The bill includes $3.079B for rural development programs such as critical infrastructure, rural broadband, and rural housing loans and rental assistance. The FDA receives $3.1B in discretionary funding ($308M above FY18), while total funding for the FDA, which includes revenue from user fees, is $5.57B. The bill also appropriates $70M to accelerate medical product development as authorized in the 21^stCentury Cures Act. The bill funds Agriculture Research at $3.101B ($72M above FY18), Animal and Plant Health at $998.4M ($16.5M above FY18), Conservation Programs at $1.05B, Farm Programs at $1.713B ($8.5M above FY18), Food Safety and Inspection Service at $1.05B ($7.5M below FY18), Commodity Futures Trading Commission at $255M ($6M above FY18), International Programs at $1.92B, Women Infants and Children at $6B ($175M below FY18), Child Nutrition Programs at $23.2B ($1.1B below FY18), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at $73.2B ($794M below FY18).

House FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP01/20180509/108287/BILLS-115HR-SC-AP-FY2019-Agriculture-SubcommitteeDraft.pdf

House FY19 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Summary

https://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395290

House Commerce Justice Science Appropriations Bill

The House Commerce Justice Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its $62.5B spending bill this week. The bill is $2.9B above the FY18 enacted level.

The bill includes $447M for grant programs to help stem opioid abuse, fully funds the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, provides $50M in grants to reduce gang and gun violence, $100M for the STOP School Violence Act, $100M for youth mentoring programs, and $20M for police active shooter training. The bill funds the Department of Justice at $30.7B ($793M above FY18), NASA at $21.5B ($810M above FY18), the Department of Commerce at $12.1B ($1B above FY18), and the National Science Foundation at $8.2B ($408M above FY18).

The bill also includes several policy riders. It continues a prohibition on the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees into the U.S. and continues various existing provisions related to firearms, including the prohibition on the implementation of the UN Arms Trade Treaty. The bill prohibits unauthorized reporting and registration requirements on consumers purchasing multiple rifles or shotguns. It prohibits NASA, OSTP and the National Space Council from engaging in bilateral activities with China unless authorized or certified via procedures established in the bill. The bill prevents settlement money from going to activist groups by prohibiting DOJ from entering into civil settlement agreements in which a defendant is required to make a donation to a third party. And it includes a policy provision to counter cyberespionage by requiring agencies to conduct supply chain reviews before procuring sensitive information technology systems. Finally, it continues existing pro-life policies.

House FY19 Commerce Justice Science Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP19/20180509/108286/BILLS-115HR-SC-AP-FY2019-CJS-SubcommitteeDraft.pdf

House FY19 Commerce Justice Science Appropriations Bill Summary

https://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395291

House FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill

The House Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee met this week and marked up its FY19 spending bill. The $44.7B bill is $1.5B above the FY18 enacted level and $8.17B above the President’s FY19 budget request. In addition to providing funding for various Department of Education programs, the bill provides $15.3B for national nuclear weapons activities and $7.28B for the Army Corps of Engineers.

The bill makes targeted investments to protect our nation’s energy infrastructure against cyber and other attacks. Within this funding, $117M ($41M above FY18) is directed to research and development activities to strengthen the security of the U.S. electric grid. The bill continues congressional efforts to support the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, providing a total of $267.7M, an increase of $100M above the budget request. Included in the legislation is $6.9B for environmental management activities, $257M below the FY18 level and $268M above the President’s budget request. Funding for energy programs within DOE is $13.4B (an increase of $504M above FY18). Energy efficiency and renewable energy programs are cut by $243M compared to FY18. And finally, the bill includes $6.6B for science research (an increase of $340M above FY18) and $1.56B for the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to help manage, develop, and protect the water resources of Western states ($75 million above FY18).

In addition to funding, the bill includes some policy riders. It repeals the Waters of the United States rule; restricts the application of the Clean Water Act in certain agricultural areas, including farm ponds and irrigation ditches; prohibits new nuclear nonproliferation projects in Russia without certain notifications from the Secretary of Energy; allows the possession of firearms on Corps of Engineers lands; and includes language regarding operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System hydroelectric dams.

House FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP10/20180507/108254/BILLS-115HR-SC-AP-FY2019-EnergyWater-SubcommitteeDraft.pdf

House FY19 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Summary

https://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395283

House FY19 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill

The House Appropriations Committee met this week and reported the $3.8B FY19 Legislative Branch bill out of full committee by a vote of 47-0 after approving a manager’s amendment.

House FY19 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20180508/108282/BILLS-115HR-FC-AP-FY2019-AP00-LegBranch.pdf

House FY19 Legislative Branch Appropriations Report Language

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20180508/108282/HRPT-115-HR-FY2019-LegBranch.PDF

OMB Letter to House Appropriations Chair and Ranking Member re: FY19 Legislative Branch Bill

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/FY-2019-Legislative-Branch-Appropriations-bill-Letter.pdf

House FY19 Military Construction – Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill

The House Appropriations Committee met this week and reported the $96.9B FY19 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill out of full committee by a vote of 47-0 after approving a manager’s amendment.

House FY19 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill Text

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20180508/108282/BILLS-115HR-FC-AP-FY2019-AP00-MILCON.pdf

House FY19 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Report Language

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20180508/108282/HRPT-115-HR-FY2019-MilCon.pdf 

OMB Letter to House Appropriations Chair and Ranking Member re: FY19 MilCon-VA Branch Bill

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/FY-2019-Military-Construction-and-Veterans-Affairs-Appropriations-bill-Letter.pdf

While federal budget resolutions are supposed to be filed by April 15 and the budget is used to start the annual appropriations process, the House and Senate can instead pass deeming resolutions, which are simple resolutions that set the 302a allocations without advancing a budget.

House and Senate Republicans indicated their intention this week to forgo adopting a budget resolution for FY2019 and instead proceed with deeming resolutions. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Michael Enzi (R-WY) filed the overall spending limits for defense ($647B) and nondefense ($597B) discretionary programs. Those limits, which were set by the budget deal in February and now are considered approved once filed, allows the Senate to proceed with the FY19 appropriations bills. Publication of the levels allows the Senate to consider the FY19 appropriations bills on the Senate floor with the ability to enforce the levels through points of order. The filing also allows Chairman Enzi to enforce other budget rules. This doesn’t preclude the Senate from adopting a budget resolution at a later time. On the House side, House Budget Committee Chairman Steve Womack (R-AR) said that he also intends to deem the overall spending limits for FY19 in time to meet the House’s May 16 deadline. Womack said his committee still plans to draft a budget resolution that would show a path to a balanced budget in 10 years.