FY17 Budget and Appropriations
House
FY17 Budget Resolution
House Republicans are still unable to find a budget resolution to appease all of their members as the latest attempt to win the support of their party’s deficit hawks has fallen flat. The latest offer was to condition the $1.07T discretionary topline spending on passage of $30B in spending cuts to entitlement programs. Conservatives in the House are doubtful that the bill would survive in the Senate, and therefore, reluctant to support it in the House. And House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) is hesitant to force the resolution on his caucus.
House Floor
Military Construction-Veterans Affairs
For the first time since 1974 when the modern budget process was created, the House took up a regular appropriations bill without a budget resolution or a deeming resolution setting topline spending limits. The House passed the $81.6B FY17 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill by a vote of 295 to 129 (4 Republicans voted against the bill and 57 Democrats voted in favor of the bill). While an amendment barring the Confederate flag being flown at cemeteries run by the Department of Veterans Affairs derailed the FY16 appropriations process in the House, it passed the House this year by a vote of 265 to 159 with the support of GOP leaders. Another controversial amendment looked like it would also pass, but was ultimately rejected by a vote of 212 to 213 after several Republicans flipped their votes from “yay” to “nay” when the vote was held open for several minutes past the allotted time. The amendment would have barred federal contractors from getting government work if they discriminate against the LGBT community. The Office of Management and Budget issued a Statement of Administration Policy stating that they would recommend the President veto the bill over the inclusion of restrictions on the use of funds to transfer individuals held at Guantanamo Bay and close the facility.
House FY17 MilCon-VA Bill Text:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr4974/BILLS-114hr4974rh.pdf
House FY17 MilCon-VA Report Language:
https://www.congress.gov/114/crpt/hrpt497/CRPT-114hrpt497.pdf
OMB FY17 MilCon-VA Veto Threat:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/114/saphr4974r_20160517_v2.pdf
Zika Response Act
The House also passed HR 5243, the Zika Response Appropriations Act by a vote of 241 to 183 (3 Democrats voted for the bill, 4 Republicans voted against it). The bill provides $622M to fight the spread of the Zika virus, less than the Administration’s requested $1.9B. And the funding is offset with $352.1M of unused money for fighting the Ebola outbreak and $270M in other unused funding for the Department of Health and Human Services. The Administration issued a statement threatening that the President would veto the measure calling the funding levels “woefully inadequate” and objecting to the bill’s use of previously-appropriated funding as an offset. The Administration argued that the funding should be treated as an emergency and should not be offset. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) said that the Administration’s $1.9B request was for several years and that additional funding could be part of the FY17 appropriations process.
Zika Funding Bill:
http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20160516/BILLS-114hr-HR5243-AF.pdf
OMB Zika Funding Veto Threat:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/114/saphr5243r_20160517.pdf
House Committee
Defense
The full House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY17 Defense spending bill this week. The bill provides $517.1B in discretionary funding – an increase of $3B over the FY16 enacted level and $587M below the President’s budget request. The bill also provides $58.6B in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding – the level allowed under current law. In addition to a non-controversial manager’s amendment, the Committee adopted by voice vote an amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) stating that “Congress has a constitutional duty to debate and determine whether or not to authorize the use of military force against ISIL.”
House FY17 Defense Appropriations Bill Summary:
http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394520
House FY17 Defense Appropriations Bill Text:
http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-114hr-sc-ap-fy2017-defense-subcommitteedraft.pdf
House FY17 Defense Appropriations Report Language:
http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hrpt-114-hr-fy2017-defense.pdf
Legislative Branch
The full House Appropriations Committee also marked up its $3.48B FY17 Legislative Branch spending bill. In addition to a non-controversial manager’s amendment, the Committee adopted by voice vote an amendment by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) that provided an additional $8.3M for the Members Representational Allowances account (1.5% increase), transferred from the Architect of the Capital Construction and Operations Fund.
House FY17 Legislative Branch Bill Summary:
http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394506
House FY17 Legislative Branch Bill Text:
http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-114hr-fc-ap-fy2017-ap00-legbranch.pdf
House FY17 Legislative Branch Report Language:
http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hrpt-114-hr-fy2017-legbranch.pdf
Commerce Justice Science
The House Commerce Justice Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY17 spending bill this week. The FY17 CJS bill contains $56B in total discretionary spending, an increase of $279M over FY16 and $1.4B above the President’s budget request. The bill provides $29B for the Department of Justice ($347M above FY16), $19.5B for NASA ($223M above FY16), $9.1B for the Department of Commerce ($194M below FY16), and $15M for the Trade Enforcement Trust Fund and $90M for the International Trade Commission. The bill also includes several policy provisions:
- Continuation of a prohibition on the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees into the U.S.;
- Continuation of various existing provisions related to firearms, and making four of these provisions permanent;
- A prohibition on NASA and the Office of Science and Technology Policy engaging in bilateral activities with China unless authorized or certified via procedures established in the bill;
- A prohibition on funds for exports to the Cuban military officers or their families;
- A requirement for agencies to provide inspectors general with timely information.
- A continuation of language prohibiting funds to relinquish the responsibility of Department of Commerce with respect to Internet Domain Name System functions; and
- A continuation of existing policies related to the sanctity of life.
The bill will be marked up in full committee next Tuesday at 10:30 am.
Bill Text:
Transportation HUD
The House Transportation HUD (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY17 spending bill this week. The FY17 THUD bill contains a total of $58.2B in discretionary spending – an increase of $889M above FY16 and $4.9B billion below the President’s FY17 budget request. The bill includes $19.2B for the Department of Transportation ($540M above FY16, $4B below the President’s budget request), $38.7B for the Department of Housing and Urban Development ($384M above FY16, $953M below the President’s budget request), and $6.9B for Community Planning and Development Programs ($231M above FY16). The legislation also includes a number of legislative reforms:
- Clarifies and extends the prohibition on the 2013 changes to the 34-hour truck-driver restart rule.
- Facilitates interstate commerce by affirming a uniform hours of service trucking requirement.
- Requires DOT to improve safety data.
- Restricts HUD from implementing floodplain policies.
The bill will be marked up in full committee next Tuesday at 10:30 am.
Bill Text:
Senate
Senate Floor
This week the Senate passed HR 2577 a combined measure that includes the FY17 Transportation HUD and FY17 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs spending bills. The bill was passed by a vote of 89 to 8 with all of the “nay” votes coming from Republicans (Corker, Crapo, Flake, Lankford, Lee, Paul, Risch, and Sessions). The bill also included a $1.1B Zika virus amendment offered by Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Patty Murray (D-WA) that was passed by a vote of 68 to 30 (all “nay” votes were Republicans). The Senate Zika funding is treated as emergency funding that doesn’t require any offsetting cuts to other programs. While the emergency funding is attached to the THUD/MilCon-VA spending bill, the Senate may decide to conference the provision with the House-passed measure that is a standalone bill.
The Administration threatened to veto the measure due to the inclusion of “problematic ideological provisions” and that the bill did not support the President’s vision for a 21st Century Clean Transportation Plan.
OMB FY17 THUD/MilCon-VA Veto Threat:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/114/saphr2577s_20160516.pdf
Senate Committee
Agriculture
Senate Appropriators unanimously approved their $21.25 FY17 Agriculture spending bill this week. The bill is $250M below the FY16 enacted level and $21.7B below the President’s FY17 budget request.
Senate FY17 Agriculture Bill Text:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2956/BILLS-114s2956pcs.pdf
Senate FY17 Agriculture Report Language:
https://www.congress.gov/114/crpt/srpt259/CRPT-114srpt259.pdf
Legislative Branch
Senate Appropriators approved their FY17 Legislative Branch spending bill by a vote of 30 to 0 this week. The $3.021B measure increases spending on information technology security, which attributed to much of the $1M increase over FY16 levels. The Senate measure would provide $387M for the Capitol Police, $12M above FY16 but $22.6M below the President’s budget request.
The Architect of the Capitol would be funded at $419.3M, $8.7M below the FY16 level and $75.5M below the President’s budget request. The bill would provide $608.9M to the Library of Congress, $8.9M above the FY16 level and $58.3M below the President’s budget request. And GAO is funded at $542.4M, $11.4M above FY16 and $25.4M below the FY17 budget request.
Senate FY17 Legislative Branch Bill Text:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2806/BILLS-114s2806pcs.pdf
Senate FY17 Legislative Branch Report Language:
https://www.congress.gov/114/crpt/srpt258/CRPT-114srpt258.pdf
| Subcommittee | House | Senate |
| Agriculture | Subcommittee: April 13
Full Committee: April 19 |
Subcommittee: May 17
Full Committee: May 19 |
| Commerce-Justice-Science | Subcommittee: May 18
Full Committee: May 24 |
Subcommittee: April 19
Full Committee: April 21 |
| Defense | Subcommittee: May 11
Full Committee: May 17 |
Subcommittee: May 24
Full Committee: May 26 |
| Energy & Water | Subcommittee: April 13
Full Committee: April 19 Floor: Week of May 23 |
Subcommittee: April 13
Full Committee: April 14 Floor: May 12 |
| Financial Services | Subcommittee: May 25 | |
| Homeland Security | Subcommittee: May 24
Full Committee: May 26 |
|
| Interior | Subcommittee: May 25 | |
| Labor HHS Education | ||
| Legislative Branch | Subcommittee: April 20
Full Committee: May 17 |
Full Committee: May 19 |
| Military Construction – Veterans Affairs | Subcommittee: March 23
Full Committee: April 13 Floor: May 19 |
Subcommittee: April 13
Full Committee: April 14 Floor: May 19 |
| State Foreign Operations | ||
| Transportation HUD | Subcommittee: May 18
Full Committee: May 24 |
Subcommittee: April 19
Full Committee: April 21 Floor: May 19 |
FY16 vs. FY17 302(b) Allocations
| FY16 302(b) | FY17 House 302(b) | FY17 Senate 302(b) | |
| Agriculture | $21.75B | $21.3B | $21.2B |
| Commerce Justice Science | $55.7B | $56B | $56.3B |
| Defense* | $572.7B | $575.7B | $572.7B |
| Energy & Water | $37.2B | $37.4B | $37.5B |
| Financial Services | $23.2B | $22.4B | |
| Homeland Security* | $41.12B | $41.2B | |
| Interior | $32.16B | $32B | |
| Labor HHS Education | $162.1B | $161.9B | |
| Legislative Branch | $4.37B | $3.48B
(excludes Senate only items) |
$4.4B |
| Military Construction/VA* | $79.9B | $81.6B | $83B |
| State Foreign Ops* | $52.68B | $52.1B | |
| Transportation HUD | $57.6B | $58.2B | $56.5B |
*Includes Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding.