House Begins Work on FY20 Appropriations Bills

The House kicked off the FY20 appropriations process this week and marked up three of their annual spending bills. All bills are expected to be marked up in the full committee next week. On the Senate side, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) said that he is waiting to see if congressional leaders can reach agreement on the spending caps before he starts marking up the FY20 spending bills.

Labor HHS Education

The House Labor HHS Education Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY20 spending bill this week and passed it out of subcommittee by voice vote that appeared to be along party lines. 

The bill provides $189.8B in discretionary funding; an increase of $11.7B over FY19 enacted levels and $47.8B over the President’s FY20 budget request. The Department of Labor is funded at $13.3B ($1.2B above FY19 and $2.4B above the President’s budget request), the Department of Health and Human Services is funded at $99.0B ($8.5B above FY19 and $20.9B above the President’s budget request), and the Department of Education is funded at $75.9B ($4.4B above FY19 and $11.9B above the President’s budget request). The bill also provides $1.14B for the Corporation for National and Community Service, $495M for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $257M for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, $342M for the National Labor Relations Board, and $13B for the Social Security Administration’s operating expenses.

Bill Text

Summary

Legislative Branch

The House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY20 spending bill in subcommittee this week and also approved it by a party line voice vote. 

The bill appropriates $3.943B for the legislative branch, $135M or 3.6% above FY19. In keeping with longstanding practice whereby each chamber of Congress determines its own requirements and the other concurs without intervention, the bill does not include funds for the Senate or for Senate office buildings. 

The bill includes an $11M funding increase to allow Congressional offices to pay their interns. It also restores the Office of Technology Assessment, which helps Congress understand the potential and the risks of technology developments and the policy options for addressing issues those developments raise. The bill also includes funding for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) (a $26M increase), the Architect of the Capitol (a $26M decrease), the Capitol Police (a $7M increase), and the Library of Congress (a $24M increase). Finally, the bill includes language permitting the Legislative Branch agencies to employ “Dreamers” – residents of the U.S. brought to the U.S. as children without proper immigration status – who hold employment authorization under the DACA program.

Bill Text

Summary

Military Construction-Veterans Affairs

The House Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY20 funding bill this week and approved it by voice vote (mostly along party line votes as Ranking Member Granger voted no, but Rep. Carter voted yes). 

The bill funds the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and other related agencies, including the American Battle Monuments Commission and Armed Forces Retirement Home. In total, the legislation provides $108.1B in discretionary funding – $10B above the FY19 enacted level. This includes $921M in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding as well as $2B for emergency needs related to Hurricanes Michael and Florence at military bases in North Carolina and Florida.

Within this total, discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is increased by $7.8B (9%) over the FY19 enacted level, including funding to increase access to services for veterans, and to increase oversight and accountability within the department. Funding for military construction is 

Bill Text

Summary

FY2020 Appropriations Bills Status