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DHS Appropriations FY2017: Departmental Management and Operations
This report outlines the fiscal year 2017 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, Departmental Management and Operations made by Congress.
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: Fiscal Year 2018
This report provides an overview and analysis of FY2018 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The primary focus of this report is on Congressional direction and funding provided to DHS through the appropriations process, though note is also made of funding made available to DHS outside this process (e.g., user fees and trust funds). It includes an Appendix with definitions of key budget terms used throughout the suite of Congressional Research Service reports on homeland security appropriations. It also directs the reader to other reports providing context for and additional details regarding specific component appropriations and issues engaged through the FY2018 appropriations process.
Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues
This report discusses military personnel issues considered during deliberations on H.R. 2810 and S. 1519 which were passed on July 14, 2017 as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. A brief synopsis of sections in each bill that pertain to selected personnel policies such as military end-strengths, pay and benefits, and other major policy issues are provided.
Comparing DHS Component Funding, Fiscal Year 2018: In Brief
This report illustrates the appropriations for various parts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2018 compared with funding levels for fiscal year 2017 in a series of charts and tables.
Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring 8 National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs). Congress's decisions on these three programs could substantially affect Coast Guard capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Federal Research and Development Funding: Fiscal Year 2018
This report begins with a discussion of the overall level of President Trump's FY2018 R&D request, followed by analyses of the R&D funding request from a variety of perspectives and for selected multiagency R&D initiatives. The report concludes with discussion and analysis of the R&D budget requests of selected federal departments and agencies that, collectively, account for nearly 99% of total federal R&D funding. Selected terms associated with federal R&D funding are defined in the text box on the next page. Appendix A provides a list of acronyms and abbreviations.
Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Navy's irregular warfare (IW) and counterterrorism (CT) operations. The Navy's IW and CT activities pose a number of potential oversight issues for Congress, including how much emphasis to place on IW and CT activities in future Navy budgets.
Navy John Lewis (TAO-205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the John Lewis (TAO205) class oiler shipbuilding program, a program to build a new class of 20 fleet oilers for the Navy. The TAO-205 program was previously known as the TAO(X) program. The first ship in the program was funded in FY2016 at a cost of $674.2 million. The Navy's proposed FY2018 budget requests $466.0 million in procurement funding for the second ship, which the Navy wants to procure in FY2018, and $75.1 million in advance procurement (AP) funding for the third ship, which the Navy wants to procure in FY2019.
Navy LX (R) Amphibious Ship Program: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the LX(R) program, a program to build a new class of amphibious ships for the Navy. The Navy wants to procure the first LX(R) in FY2020. The Navy's proposed FY2018 budget requests $9.6 million in research and development funds for the LX(R) program. Decisions Congress makes on the LX(R) program will affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress
This report presents background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Navy's Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyer programs. The Navy's proposed FY2018 budget requests funding for the procurement of two DDG-51s. Decisions that Congress makes concerning destroyer procurement could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: Fiscal Year 2017
This report discusses the FY2017 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The report makes note of many budgetary resources provided to DHS, but its primary focus is on funding approved by Congress through the appropriations process. It includes an Appendix with definitions of key budget terms used throughout the suite of Congressional Research Service reports on homeland security appropriations. It also directs the reader to other reports providing context for and additional details regarding specific component appropriations and issues engaged through the FY2016 appropriations process.
The Debt Limit Since 2011
This report discusses the federal debt limit and the crisis of 2011 in reaching the debt limit. Subsequent developments in extending the debt limit and using extraordinary measures to meet government obligations since then are outlined up to the present.
Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) program.
Legislative Branch Appropriations: Frequently Asked Questions
This report responds to frequently asked questions about legislative branch appropriations. Frequently asked questions include the items that are funded within this bill; development, presentation, and consideration of the legislative branch budget requests; the legislative branch budget in historical perspective; and recent actions.
Multiyear Procurement (MYP) and Block Buy Contracting in Defense Acquisition: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and issues for Congress on multiyear procurement (MYP) and block buy contracting (BBC),1 which are special contracting mechanisms that Congress permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to use for a limited number of defense acquisition programs. Compared to the standard or default approach of annual contracting, MYP and BBC have the potential for reducing weapon procurement costs by several percent.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues
This report examines debates over what constitutes an unfunded federal mandate and the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act's (UMRA) implementation. It focuses on UMRA's requirement that CBO issue written cost estimate statements for federal mandates in legislation, its procedures for raising points of order in the House and Senate concerning unfunded federal mandates in legislation, and its requirement that federal agencies prepare written cost estimate statements for federal mandates in rules. It also assesses UMRA's impact on federal mandates and arguments concerning UMRA's future, focusing on UMRA's definitions, exclusions, and exceptions that currently exempt many federal actions with potentially significant financial impacts on nonfederal entities. An examination of the rise of unfunded federal mandates as a national issue and a summary of UMRA's legislative history are provided in Appendix A. Citations to UMRA points of order raised in the House and Senate are provided in Appendix B.
In Brief: Highlights of Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations Actions
This report outlines the defense related appropriations request for fiscal year 2018 and selected issues in Congress dealing with the defense budget.
Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline Beyond FY2018
This report discusses the 2014 farm bill, which contains 39 programs that received mandatory funding that do not have baseline beyond FY2018. These programs had estimated mandatory spending totaling $2.824 billion over the five-year farm bill.
Legislative Branch Appropriations: Frequently Asked Questions
This report responds to frequently-asked questions about legislative branch appropriations, including: items that are funded within this bill; development, presentation, and consideration of the legislative branch budget requests; the legislative branch budget in historical perspective; and recent actions.
Legislative Branch: FY2018 Appropriations
This report discusses the the legislative branch appropriations bill (FY2018, which provides funding for the Senate; House of Representatives;Joint Items; Capitol Police; Office of Compliance; Congressional Budget Office (CBO); Architect of the Capitol (AOC); Library of Congress (LOC), including the Congressional Research Service (CRS); Government Publishing Office (GPO); Government Accountability Office (GAO); Open World Leadership Center; and the John C. Stennis Center.
The Federal Budget: Overview and Issues for FY2018 and Beyond
This report summarizes issues surrounding the federal budget, examines policy changes relevant to the budget framework for FY2018, and discusses recent major policy proposals included in the President's FY2018 budget. It concludes by addressing major short- and long-term fiscal challenges facing the federal government.
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress
This report presents background information and issues for Congress concerning the Navy's ship force-structure goals and shipbuilding plans. The planned size of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans have been matters of concern for the congressional defense committees for the past several years.
Navy Littoral Combat Ship/Frigate (LCS/FF) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship/Frigate (LCS/FF) program, a program to procure a total of 40, and possibly as many as 52, small surface combatants (SSCs), meaning LCSs and frigates.
Defense: FY2017 Budget Request, Authorization, and Appropriations
This report discusses the current administration's request of $523.9 billion to cover the fiscal year 2017 discretionary "base budget" of the Department of Defense (DOD).
Deeming Resolutions: Budget Enforcement in the Absence of a Budget Resolution
This report discusses deeming resolutions which are used by Congress as a substitute when budget resolution bills are not passed.
The Budget Control Act: Frequently Asked Questions
This report addresses several frequently-asked questions related to the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) and the annual budget.
Comparing DHS Component Funding, FY2017: Fact Sheet
This report provides figures that show total net discretionary appropriations for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) broken down by component, and ordered from largest to smallest by FY2016 enacted funding level.
The President's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request for the National Science Foundation
This report discuses the Trump Administration's 2018 fiscal year budget request for the National Science Foundation which proposed significant funding cuts across the agency's major research, education, and construction accounts. Overall, the request includes $6.653 billion for NSF, $819 million (11%) below the FY2017 enacted amount of $7.472 billion (P.L. 115-31).
Legislative Branch: Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations
This report discuses the legislative branch appropriations for fiscal year 2017. It first provides an overview of the consideration of FY2017 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action followed by a section on prior year actions and funding, which contains historical tables. The report then addresses the FY2017 budget requests, requested administrative language, and selected funding issues for individual legislative branch agencies and entities. Finally, Table 5 through Table 9 list enacted funding levels for FY2016 and FY2017, while the Appendix lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports; public law numbers; and enactment dates since FY1998.
Energy and Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation: In Brief
This report discusses the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) programs, which was reorganized starting with the FY2016 request.
FY2018 Defense Budget Request: The Basics
This report discusses the federal budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2018 released by the Trump Administration on May 23, 2017.
Air Force B-21 Raider Long-Range Strike Bomber
This report discusses the development of a new long-range bomber aircraft, the B-21 Raider (previously known as LRS-B), and proposes to acquire at least 100 of them.
Child Welfare Funding in Brief: Fiscal Year 2017 Final Funding and the President's Fiscal Year 2018 Request.
This report discusses the 2017 fiscal year appropriations received for child welfare programs and the fiscal year 2018 budge request for the same.
When an Agency's Budget Request Does Not Match the President's Request: The Fiscal Year 2018 CFTC Request and "Budget Bypass"
This report discuses two competing 2018 fiscal year budget requests for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from President Trump and from the CFTC themselves. The Presidential request is $250 million, which is the same amount the CFTC had the past year, while CFTC is requesting an additional $31.5 million in funding for a total request of $ 281.5 million. The process of submitting budgets to the President and Congress is discussed as well as ways to reconcile the two conflicting budget requests.
The President's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request for the Department of Energy
This report discusses President's Trump's 2018 fiscal year budget request for the Department of Energy. The FY2018 request is $28.0 billion which is $2.7 billion (8.8%) less than the FY2017 enacted appropriations of $30.7 billion. While this request would reduce the total budget for DOE, it would increase overall funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and increase funding for cleanup programs within the Office of Environmental Management. The request would reduce funding for the Offices of Science, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Nuclear Energy (NE), Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), and Fossil Energy (including the Fossil Energy Research and Development [R&D] program). It would also reduce funding for the Advanced Research Projects AgencyEnergy (ARPA-E) to wind down operations in FY2018 for cessation of its functions in FY2019, and would eliminate funding for two programs within EERE--the Weatherization Assistance Program and State Energy Program--and two programs within the Loan Program Office--Title XVII Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program (Title XVII Loan Program) and Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program in FY2018.
The Corporation for National and Community Service: Overview of Programs and Funding
This report discusses the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) which authorizes grants for service programs such as Americorps and VISTA. The FY2017 appropriations amount for CNCS is $1.030 billion, which is $65 million less than the FY2016 amount of $1.095 billion. Amounts of funding for each program of CNCS is included.
Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability
This report provides brief descriptions of the budget volumes and related documents, together with Internet addresses, Government Publishing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices for obtaining print copies of these publications. It also explains how to find the locations of government depository libraries, which can provide both printed copies for reference use and Internet access to the online versions. This report will be updated as events warrant.
Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress
This report discusses the Marine Corps development and funding requests for the the 2018 fiscal year for Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carriers (MPC). The Department of Defense's FY 2018 Budget Request requests $340.5 million dollars for 26 ACVs. Potential issues for Congress include an increase in Marine Corps end strength and force structure resulting in an increase in overall ACV requirements and the challenges and risks associated with the Marines' new MPC/ACV acquisition strategy.
Advanced Pilot Training (T-X) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
This report discusses the Air Force's planned procurement of 350 new Advanced Pilot Training (APT T-X) aircraft and 46 Ground Based Training Systems (GBTS) at a cost valued at roughly $1.5 billion for the Research, Design, Test, and Evaluation phase of the program and estimated at $18 billion in future procurement costs. The APT T-X acquisition strategy poses potential oversight issues for Congress, including the following: Is the number of planned aircraft purchases sufficient? Given the reported pilot shortage, should the procurement be accelerated? What effects do increased F-35A & KC-46 purchases, along with development of the new Long Range Strike Bomber, B-21, have on the USAF budget and the feasibility of an additional Major Defense Acquisition Program? These questions and the Air Force's FY 2017 appropriations requests' for the program are addressed in this report.
The Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): Background and Issues for Congress
This report discuses the development, procurement, and funding of the Army's new Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPV) intended to replace Vietnam War-era M-113 personnel carriers. The FY2018 budget request for the AMPV requests $647.4 million for the production of 107 vehicles. A potential issue for Congress is whether the Administration's proposal to increase the size of the Army will translate into a requirement for additional AMPVs.
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV): Background and Issues for Congress
This report discuses the development, procurement, and funding of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) for the Army and Marine Corps. The FY2018 budget request for JLTVs is $1,142.7 million for 2,777 JLTVs for the Army, Marines, and Air Force. The major potential issues for Congress include whether an increase in endstrength and force structure might result in an increase in overall JLTV requirements, and what the service-specific fielding plans for the JLTV might be.
Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations for the Department of Justice
This report provides a an overview of the 2017 fiscal year appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) divided by department. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) appropriates $28.962 billion for DOJ, an amount that is 0.4% less than the FY2016 appropriation and 2.9% less than what the Obama Administration requested.
Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations for the Department of Justice Grant Programs
This report outlines the 2017 fiscal year appropriations for the five Department of Justice (DOJ) grant programs which assist communities with various criminal justice related issues. Congress provided a total of $2.320 billion for DOJ's five grant accounts, an amount that is 6.7% less than the FY2016 appropriation and 1.8% less than the Administration's request. Funding for three of the five grant accounts decreased for FY2017, the exceptions being Violence Against Women Programs (+$2 million) and the Community Oriented Policing Services (+$10 million). However, the increase in funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services account is largely attributable to Congress moving funding for the Regional Information Sharing System from the Research, Evaluation, and Statistics account to the Community Oriented Policing Services account.
Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 115th Congress
This report provides short summaries of legislative proposals with respect to unemployment insurance (UI) programs. It also gives a brief overview of the UI programs that may provide benefits to eligible unemployed workers. In addition, it briefly summarizes UI proposals included in the President's budget for FY2018. President Trump signed H.J.Res. 42 on March 30, 2017 (P.L. 115-17). This Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution negated 20 C.F.R. Part 620. This now-negated rule had set out the circumstances under which states were allowed to prospectively drug test UC claimants based upon the prevalence of drug testing in the occupations in which they were seeking employment.
United States Fire Administration: An Overview
This report discuses the United States Fire Administration (USFA) and their funding for fiscal year 2017 in comparison with recent years. The Administration's FY2017 budget proposed $42.3 million for USFA, a 3.8% decrease from the FY2016 level.
President's FY2018 Budget Proposes Cuts in Public Health Service (PHS) Agency Funding
This report outlines the significant reductions in funding for the Public Health Service (PHS) proposed by the President's FY2018 budget.
Additional Troops for Afghanistan? Considerations for Congress
This report discusses the possibility of a proposal by the Trump Administration to deploy additional ground forces to Afghanistan and somewhat broaden their mission.
Federal Health Centers: An Overview
This report provides an overview of the federal Health Center Program, including its statutory authority, program requirements, and appropriation levels. It also describes federal programs available to assist health center operations, including the federally-qualified health center (FQHC) designation for Medicare and Medicaid payments, and concludes with two appendices that describe FQHC payments for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Fact Sheet: FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) DOD Reform Proposals
This report discusses information on extant Department of Defense (DOD) reform proposals being considered during the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act debates. It includes key provisions incorporated in H.R. 4909, the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) reported by the House Armed Services Committee on May 4, 2016 (H.Rept. 114-537), and S. 2943, the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act reported by the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 18, 2016 (S.Rept. 114-255).
Judiciary Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2017
This report describes the 2017 fiscal year appropriations for the judiciary branch. The judiciary's FY2017 budget request of $7.58 billion was submitted on February 9, 2016 and represents a 3.3% increase over the FY2016 enacted level of $7.34 billion provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113), Division E, Title III, enacted December 18, 2015. The House Appropriations Committee held a markup (H.R. 5485) on June 9, 2016, and recommended a total of $7.55 billion. The Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup (S. 3067) on June 16, 2016, and recommended a total of $7.58 billion.
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