LINK TO UPDATED 2018 SENATE-HOUSE CALENDAR
Passage:
- March 22-23, 2018: House and Senate passed and the President signed the omnibus appropriations bill (as an amendment to HR 1625) funding the government through September 30, 2018, averting a Friday midnight shutdown.
- Senate passed the appropriations bill by a vote of 65-32.
- House passed the bill by a vote of 256-167.
Cost Estimates:
- JCT Revenue Estimates
- JCT Explanation of Revenue Provisions in Omnibus (including Tax Technical Corrections Act of 2018)
- CBO Estimate
Link to Bill and Report Language:
- Joint Stmt Introduction
- Joint Stmt Agriculture-Rural-FDA (Division A) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Commerce-Justice-Science (Division B) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Defense (Division C) | House Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Energy-Water (Division D) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Financial Services-General Govt (Division E) | House Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Homeland Security (Division F) | House Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Interior-Environment (Division G) | House Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Labor-HHS-Education (Division H) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Legislative Branch (Division I) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Military Construction (Division J) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt State-Foreign Operations (Division K) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt Transportation-HUD (Division L) | House Rpt | Senate Rpt |
- Joint Stmt (Division S)
- Explanatory Statement (from JCT): Tax Extensions, Revenue Provisions, and Technical Corrections Act of 2018 (Divisions,M, T, and U)
- Summary of Legislative Provisions (Reauthorizations, Extensions, New Policies)
Senate Appropriations Majority Statement and Bill Summaries
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Defense
- Energy and Water Development
- Financial Services and General Government
- Homeland Security
- Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Legislative Branch
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Senate Appropriations Minority Statement and Bill Summaries
House Appropriations Majority Statement and Bill Summaries
- Overall Summary
- Agriculture Appropriations Bill
- Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations Bill
- Department of Defense Appropriations Bill
- Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
- Financial Services Appropriations Bill
- Homeland Security Appropriations Bill
- Interior/Environment Appropriations Bill
- Labor/Health and Human Services/Education Appropriations Bill
- Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill
- Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill
- State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
- Transportation/Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill
- Investing in Infrastructure
- Improving School Safety
- Fighting Opioid Abuse
House Appropriations Minority Statement and Bill Summaries
- Top 10 Democratic Priorities in Omnibus
- House Democratic Summary of FY2018 Omnibus
- CQ Comparison of FY’18 Omnibus, President’s Request, and FY’17 Enacted
Highlights of the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill:
- The $1.3 trillion FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act provides:
- $629 billion in base defense funding and $66 billion for the “off-budget” Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) for a total of nearly $700 billion; and
- $579 billion in base nondefense funding and $12 billion for “off-budget” OCO for a total of nearly $600 billion.
- These levels reflect the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act that raised the FY’18 budget caps on discretionary spending:
- for defense by $80 billion (15%); and
- non-defense by $63 billion (12%).
- Defense: The bill provides the biggest year-over-year increase in defense funding in 15 years. Combined with FY2018 funding previously approved by Congress for missile defense and disaster response, the Defense Department will receive more than $61 billion over the 2017 enacted level.
- Funds a 2.4 percent pay increase for troops.
- $133.4 billion for Military Personnel, which is $4.6 billion more than the FY2017 enacted level.
- Increases end strength by 8500 active and 1000 Guard/Reserve.
- $190.5 billion for Operations and Maintenance, which is $22.9 billion more than the FY2017 enacted level.
- $133.9 billion for Procurement, which is $ 25.4 billion more than the FY2017 enacted level.
- $88.3 billion for Research and Development, which is $16 billion more than the FY2017 enacted level.
- $4.8 billion for the European Reassurance Initiative, which is equal to the request.
- $34.4 billion for Defense Health requirements – $764 million above the budget request, including $1.1 billion for congressionally directed medical research programs.
- $705.8 million for the Israeli Missile Defense Cooperative program, which is $105 million more than the 2017 enacted level.
- $35 million for continued implementation and expansion of the Sexual Assault Special Victim’s Counsel Program.
- $200 million in OCO for Ukraine, which is $50 million more than the 2017 enacted level.
- Prohibits the use of funds in Syria and Iraq in contravention of the War Powers Resolution.
- Does not include the Lee amendment requiring new Authorization for Use of Military Force, which passed the House Appropriations Committee.
- Prohibits funding to transfer or release Guantanamo Bay detainees to the U.S.
- Overall Non-defense discretionary funding:
- The bill includes $600 billion in non-defense spending, including $12 billion in OCO.
- President Trump’s FY2018 budget request proposed cutting $54 billion from the existing statutory cap;
- the House Appropriations bills proposed cutting $5 billion;
- enactment of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 increased NDD by $63 billion.
- Early Childhood: $610 million increase for Head Start and a $2.37 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program (for a total of $5.22 billion), putting CCDBG at its highest discretionary funding level.
- Education: $700 million increase for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, a $300 million increase for Title I Grants to Schools and a $275 million increase for Special Education Part B State Grants (IDEA). It also provides funding to raise the maximum Pell Grant award by $175 and creates a $350 million discretionary relief fund for borrowers to receive public service loan forgiveness.
- Opioids: $3 billion increase for programs to respond to the opioid crisis, including a $2.7 billion increase for prevention, treatment, surveillance, research to develop non-opioid pain medication, behavioral workforce training, and support for children and families. Also includes $114 million for FDA activities and a $300 million increase for the Department of Justice for activities such as heroin enforcement task forces, drug courts, prescription drug monitoring, treatment, and overdose reversal medication.
- Research: $3 billion increase for National Institutes of Health (NIH) medical research. It provides a $231 billion increase for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, $868 million increase for the Department of Energy Office of Science, and a $47 million increase for Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E). The Omnibus also includes a $295 million increase for the National Science Foundation, a $234 million increase for NOAA, and a $1.08 billion increase for NASA.
- Election Integrity: $380 million in new money for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to distribute to states as grants to protect election systems from cyber threats.
- Census: $1.3 billion increase for the Census Bureau, which is critical to ensure an accurate count leading into the decennial Census and subsequent reapportionment.
- Public Safety and Law Enforcement: 3 to 5 percent boosts for law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration; $375 million increase for State and Local Law Enforcement Activities, including a $54 million increase for the COPS office; a $40 million increase for the State Homeland Security Grant Program, a $25 million increase for the Urban Area Security Initiative, a $149 million increase for Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants, and an $85 million increase for Flood Mapping.
- CDC: $806 million increase for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Local Infrastructure: $21 billion to rebuild and improve infrastructure, including: $2.525 billion in new funding for highway formula grants; $1 billion increase for the National Infrastructure Investment (TIGER) grants program which fund innovative road, transit, maritime and road projects; $232 million increase for subway, light rail, and commuter rail transit systems; $446.6 million increase for Amtrak; $305 million increase for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG); $789 million increase for Army Corps of Engineers water resources projects, including funding for new starts; $1.8 billion increase for rural water and wastewater treatment; and a $600 million increase for rural broadband.
- Environment: $763 million increase for the Environmental Protection Agency, avoiding steep cuts initially proposed by Trump. This includes increases of $300 million each for Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Funds; $63 million for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act grants; and $50 million for three new grants programs to address lead in drinking water, including $20 million for a Voluntary School Lead Testing grant program. It also includes a $270 million increase for the National Park Service and $25 million increase for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and reauthorizes the EPA Brownfields program.
- Housing: $808 million increase for the Public Housing Capital Fund, which will cut down the backlog of unmet renovation needs. It also includes a $250 million increase for HOME Investment Partnerships, $176 million increase for Housing for the Elderly, $85 million increase for Housing for the Disabled, and $90 million increase for Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes; and expands the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit which will increase 12.5% for the next four years.
- Veterans: The Omnibus provides a $7 billion increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs, with significant increases for medical services, mental health services, medical and prosthetic research, and opioid abuse services. This amount also includes $2 billion for infrastructure improvements at VA facilities and state veterans’ homes.
- Border Fence: President Trump gets a nearly $1.6 billion down payment on a border “fence” providing only 33 miles of new barriers, but did not get money for additional ICE agents and detention beds and did not get provisions to cut off funding to sanctuary cities.
- NY-NJ Gateway: Trump successfully cut the $900 million set-aside for the “Gateway project” — new commuter rail and transit lines between New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River — although Gateway projects (the Portal North Bridge replacement project and Hudson River Tunnel project) apparently would still qualify for transportation grant funds.
- Gun Background Checks – Fix NICS: Includes the so-called “FIX NICS” bill (S 2135) that would require federal agencies and incentivize states to enter data into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
- Fixes the “grain glitch” — a provision in last year’s tax law that would allow farmers bigger deductions for sales to agricultural cooperatives than to private grain dealers.
- NASA gets a boost: NASA would receive $4.79 billion in total for space exploration efforts, a $466 million increase over 2017 funding levels, including $1.35 billion for the Orion Spacecraft for travel to the Moon and Mars.
- Airport and Airway Taxes: Omnibus does include a short extension of airport and airway taxes through the end of this fiscal year (9/30/18).
- Tax Technical Corrections Act of 2018: JCT explanation of corrections to last year’s tax bill.
- Immigration: No extension of DACA, but does reauthorize foreign investor visas (EB-5 program) and the E-Verify program, increases temporary worker visas (H-2B), and reauthorizes two other immigration visa programs: one for foreign doctors working at rural hospitals and another for immigrant religious workers.
- CRS Reports to be made public: The Legislative Branch title directs the Congressional Research Service to publish all non-confidential reports on a public website operated by the Library of Congress.
- Kevin and Avonte’s Law: Includes legislation helping to protect children with developmental disabilities, and seniors with Alzheimer’s, who are prone to wandering.
- A slew of reauthorizations and legislative provisions are summarized in this list: Summary of Legislative FY18 Omnibus Additions
Contact FBG for appropriations research, analysis, drafting, and expert guidance:
Email: help@appropriations.com |
Phone: +1 (202) 419-3506 |
LINK TO UPDATED 2018 SENATE-HOUSE CALENDAR