House of Representatives
The House will consider a four-bill “Security-bus” appropriations package on the House floor next week. The bill, HR 3219, the Make America Secure Appropriations Act), includes the FY18 Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Legislative Branch, and Energy & Water spending bills. The bill will also include$1.6B for a southwest border wall. But it will not include language that was added in committee in an amendment offered by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) that would have required Congress to authorize military operations in Iraq and Syria. The amendment had been approved in committee with bipartisan support.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) predicted that members would offer hundreds of amendments and that votes would go late into the night. Some conservatives are threatening to withhold their support for the measure, asking for greater clarity on the FY18 budget resolution and tax reform before they lend their support to this bill.
Homeland Security
The House Appropriations Committee marked up its $44.3B FY18 Homeland Security spending bill this week. The bill is $1.9B above FY17 enacted levels. The bill was approved by a vote of 30 to 22.
The bill includes $13.8B for Customs and Border Protection ($1.6B above FY17), $7B for Immigration and Customs Enforcement ($619.7M above FY17), $10.5B for the U.S. Coast Guard ($31.7M above FY17), $7.2B for the Transportation Security Administration ($159.8M below FY17), $1.8B for Cybersecurity and Protection of Communications, $2B for the U.S. Secret Service ($101M below FY17), and $7.3B for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bill also includes $1.6B for physical barrier construction along the U.S. southern border and $6.8B for disaster relief and emergency response activities. The legislation does not fund most Citizen and Immigration Services (CIS) activities, as these are funded outside the appropriations process. However, the bill does contain $131M for E-Verify. The bill does not include an increase in TSA passenger fees nor a redirection of Brand USA Travel Promotion fees (both of which were included in the President’s FY18 budget request).
The following amendments to the bill were approved by the full committee:
- Carter – The amendment made technical and other noncontroversial changes and additions to the report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Aderholt– The amendment adds bill language prohibiting use of ICE funding to pay for an abortion or require anyone to perform or facilitate an abortion. The amendment was adopted on a vote of 29-21.
- Newhouse– The amendment adds bill language changing the H-2-A seasonal agriculture worker program from seasonal to year round. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Herrera Beutler– The amendment adds bill language that would grant lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. to Charlie Gard and his family for the purposes of medical treatment. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Wasserman-Schultz– The amendment adds bill language changing the statute of limitations on the recovery of FEMA Public Assistance Grants. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
House FY18 Homeland Security Bill Text:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/homeland_07.11.17_xml.pdf
House FY18 Homeland Security Report Language:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/23916.pdf
Interior and Environment
The House Appropriations Committee marked up its $31.4B FY18 Interior and Environment spending bill this week and reported out of committee by a vote of 30 to 21.
The legislation includes funding for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and various independent and related agencies. In total, the bill provides $31.4B, $824M below the FY17 enacted level and $4.3B above the President’s budget request. The bill funds wildland firefighting and prevention programs at $3.4B ($334M below FY17), $465M for the “Payments In Lieu of Taxes” (PILT) program, $7.5B for the EPA ($528M below FY17), $2.9B for the Bureaus of Indian Affairs and Education ($10M above FY17), $5.1B for the Indian Health Service ($97M above FY17), $213M for the Office of Surface Mining ($40M below FY17), $1.2B for the Bureau of Land Management ($46M below FY17), $2.9B for the National Park Service ($64M below FY17), $5.2B for the U.S. Forest Service, $1.5B for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($38M below FY17), $1B for the U.S. Geological Survey ($46M below FY17), $885 for the Smithsonian Institution ($22M above FY17), $145M for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities ($5M below FY17), $16.6M for the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, $275M for the Land and Water Conservation Fund ($125M below FY17), and $11M for the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (same as FY17).
The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full committee:
- Calvert– The Manager’s amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Harris– The amendment limits funds for activities related to wind turbines less than 24 nautical miles from the State of Maryland shoreline. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Aderholt– The amendment changes bill language requiring that all iron and steel used in water infrastructure projects be sourced within the United States. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Stewart– The amendment makes changes to bill language regarding the management of wild horses and burros. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
House FY18 Interior Bill Text:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/fy18_interior_xml.pdf
House FY18 Interior Report Language:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/23918.pdf
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education
The House Appropriations Committee marked up its $156B FY18 Labor HHS Education spending bill this week and reported it out of committee by a vote of 28 to 22.
The legislation includes funding for programs within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and other related agencies. In total, the draft bill includes $156 billion in discretionary funding, which is a reduction of $5 billion below the FY17 enacted level. The bill provides $10.8B for the Department of Labor ($1.3B less than FY17), $77.6B for HHS ($542M less than FY17), $66B for the Department of Education ($2.4B less than FY17), $1B for the Corporation for National and Community Service (same as last year), $445M for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (same as last year), $249M for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ($25M less than FY17), and $12.5B for the Social Security Administration (same as last year). The bill includes some policy provisions prohibiting the NLRB from applying its revised “joint-employer” standard in new cases and proceedings and from exercising jurisdiction over Tribal governments. The legislation also contains several provisions to stop the implementation of ObamaCare – including prohibiting the use of any new discretionary funding to implement ObamaCare. Finally, several programs were terminated including:
- Employment Service Grants ($671 million);
- International Labor Affairs Grants ($60 million), consistent with the budget request;
- CDC Climate Change program ($10 million), consistent with the budget request;
- Economic Development Grants ($20 million), consistent with the budget request;
- “Striving Readers” program ($190 million), consistent with the budget request;
- Health Careers Opportunity Program ($14 million), consistent with the budget request; and
- Overseas foreign language study program ($7 million), consistent with the budget request.
The following amendments to the FY 2018 LHHS Appropriations bill were adopted by the full committee:
- Cole –The amendment makes technical and non-controversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Harris– The amendment adds a provision prohibiting NLRB from enforcing the interpretation regarding “micro unions”/specialty healthcare. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Stewart– The amendment adds a provision prohibiting the Department of Labor from enforcing the minimum wage rule on recreational operators on Federal lands. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
House FY18 Labor HHS Education Bill Text:
House FY18 Labor HHS Education Report Language:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/23920.pdf
State and Foreign Operations
The House Appropriations Committee marked up its $47.4B FY18 State and Foreign Operations spending bill this week and reported it out by voice vote.
The legislation funds the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development, and other international activities. In total, the bill provides $47.4 billion in both regular discretionary and Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. This total is $10 billion below the FY17 enacted level, when counting additional funds provided in the Security Assistance Appropriations Act of 2017. Within this amount, OCO funding totals $12 billion, which supports operations and assistance in areas of conflict, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The bill provides $15.4B in base and OCO funding for the State Department ($2.6B less than FY17), $8.8B in base and OCO funding for International Security Assistance ($624M less than FY17), $1.5B for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ($115M less than FY17), and $888M for multilateral assistance ($1.2B less than FY17). The bill also provides policy provisions on Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, the Palestinian Authority, countering Russian influence and aggression, records management at State and USAID, Guantanamo Bay, assistance to foreign governments and local organizations, multi-year funding commitments, UN reform, North Africa strategy, the UN Arms Trade Treaty, OPIC anti-coal regulations, Mexico City Policy, and other anti-abortion measures.
The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full committee:
- Rogers – The manager’s amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Dent – The amendment would modify the quorum requirement for the Export-Import Bank Board through September 30, 2019. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
- Calvert –The amendment adds report language expressing disappointment with a recent UNESCO designation related to Israel. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
House FY18 State Foreign Operations Bill Text:
House FY18 State Foreign Operations Report Language:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/23926.pdf
Transportation HUD
The House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY18 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill this week. The committee approved a manager’s amendment and passed the bill by a vote of 31 to 20.
The legislation includes funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other related agencies. In total, the bill reflects an allocation of $56.5B in discretionary spending – $1.1B below FY17 and $8.6B above the President’s budget request. The bill includes $17.8B for the Department of Transportation ($646M above FY17) – $16.6B for the Federal Aviation Administration ($153M above FY17), $45B for the Federal-aid Highways Program ($968M above FY17), $2.2B for the Federal Railroad Administration ($360M above FY17), $11.75B for the Federal Transit Administration ($662M above FY17), $490.6M for the Maritime Administration ($31.9M below FY17), $927M for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ($15M above FY17), and $268M for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ($3.7M above FY17). The bill eliminates the National Infrastructure Investment grants (also known as TIGER grants), which were funded at $500M in FY17. The bill funds the Department of Housing and Urban Development at $38.3B ($487M below FY17) and provides $6.6B for Community Planning and Development Programs ($209M below FY17).
House FY18 Transportation HUD Bill Text:
House FY18 Transportation HUD Report Language:
https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/23928.pdf
Senate
The Senate Appropriations Committee set temporary spending levels for their FY18 spending bills this week. The Senate funding levels would bust the caps set by the Budget Control Act for both defense and nondefense discretionary spending. Without a budget resolution in place, Appropriators decided to choose spending limits to get the FY18 process started. The committee set a $551B limit on defense (not counting Global War on Terrorism funds) and $518.5B for nondefense accounts. Those levels exceed the deficit law’s caps of $549 billion for defense and $515.4 billion for nondefense spending.
| Subcommittee | FY17 Allocation | House FY18 | Senate FY18 |
| Agriculture | $20.877B | $20.001B | $20.525B |
| Commerce Justice Science | $56.56B | $53.935B | $53.36B |
| Defense | $516.1B | $584.181B | $513.1B |
| OCO | $76.6B | $73.9B | $82.1B |
| Energy & Water | $37.771B | $37.562B | $38.4B |
| Financial Services | $21.515B | $20.231B | $20.87B |
| Homeland Security | $42.4B | $44.3B | $44.05B |
| FEMA Disaster Relief | $7.3B | $6.8B | ?? |
| Interior | $32.28B | $31.456B | $32.03B |
| Labor HHS Education | $161.0B | $157.938B | $164.06B |
| Legislative Branch | $4.44B | $4.49B | $4.49B |
| Military Construction-VA | $82.38B | $88.166B | $88.21B |
| State Foreign Ops | $36.59B | $35.345B | $30.41B |
| Transportation HUD | $57.65B | $56.512B | $60.05B |
Agriculture
The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and passed out of subcommittee and full committee its FY18 Agriculture spending bill. The bill was approved by the full committee by a vote of 31 to 0. The bill provided $20.525B in funding, which is $325M below the FY17 enacted level. The bill funds Agriculture research at $2.55B, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at $953.2M ($143.2M above the President’s budget request and $7M above FY17), the Natural Resources Conservation Service at $874.1M ($9.6M above FY17 and $108.1M above the President’s budget request), the Farm Service Agency at $1.521B, the Food Safety and Inspection Service at $1.038B ($6M above FY17), Rural Development at $675.3M, the Food and Drug Administration at $2.8B ($1M over FY17), WIC at $6.35B (level with FY17), SNAP at $73.612B ($4.868B below FY17), Child Nutrition Programs at $24.243B, Food For Peace grants at $1.6B, and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program at $206.62M. The bill also includes a provision that seeks to address the ongoing economic challenges facing U.S. cotton producers by designating cotton as an “other oilseed” under Title I of the 2014 Farm Bill. This would allow cotton producers to participate in the Price Loss Coverage program.
Senate FY18 Agriculture Appropriations Summary
Senate FY18 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Text
Senate FY18 Agriculture Report Language
Energy & Water
The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and passed out of subcommittee and full committee its FY18 Energy & Water spending bill. The bill was approved by the full committee by a vote of 30 to 1. The $38.4B bill is $629M above the FY17 enacted level and $4.1B above the President’s FY18 budget request. The bill funds the Department of Energy at $31.46B ($718M above FY17 and $3.6B above the President’s budget request), Nuclear Security at $13.7B ($747M above FY17), the Army Corps of Engineers at $6.2B ($190M above FY17 and $1.2B above the President’s budget request), the Bureau of Reclamation at $1.3B ($190M above the President’s budget request), Science Research at $5.55B ($158M above FY17), Environmental Cleanup at $6.6B ($214M above FY17), Energy Programs at $11.1B ($183M below FY17, but $3.6B above the President’s budget request), Fossil Energy Research and Development at $573M ($95M below FY17 and $293M above the President’s budget request), and Nuclear Energy Research and Development at $917M ($214M above the President’s budget request). The bill also includes a pilot program for consolidated nuclear waste storage and funding to allow DOE to store nuclear waste at private facilities that are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Senate FY18 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Summary
Senate FY18 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill Text
Senate FY18 Energy & Water Appropriations Report Language
The Senate will mark up its FY18 Transportation HUD and Commerce Justice Science spending bills in subcommittee and full committee next week.
Status of FY18 Appropriations Spending Bills
| Subcommittee | House Action | Senate Action |
| Agriculture | Subcommittee: June 28
Full Committee: July 12 |
Subcommittee: July 19
Full Committee: July 20 |
| Commerce Justice Science | Subcommittee: June 29
Full Committee: July 13 |
Subcommittee: July 25
Full Committee: July 27 |
| Defense | Subcommittee: June 26
Full Committee: June 29 |
|
| Energy & Water | Subcommittee: June 28
Full Committee: July 12 |
Subcommittee: July 19
Full Committee: July 20 |
| Financial Services | Subcommittee: June 29
Full Committee: July 13 |
|
| Homeland Security | Subcommittee: July 12
Full Committee: July 18 |
|
| Interior | Subcommittee: July 12
Full Committee: July 18 |
|
| Labor HHS | Subcommittee: July 13
Full Committee: July 19 |
|
| Legislative Branch | Full Committee: June 29 | |
| MilCon-VA | Subcommittee: June 12
Full Committee: June 15 |
Subcommittee: July 12
Full Committee: July 13 |
| State Foreign Ops | Subcommittee: July 13
Full Committee: July 19 |
|
| Transportation HUD | Subcommittee: July 11
Full Committee: July 17 |
Subcommittee: July 25
Full Committee: July 27 |