This week, several subcommittees of the House Appropriations Committee began consideration of their respective FY2011 spending bills. Below are summaries of the subcommittees’ actions; additional information on each bill will become available when the committee reports are printed.
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
On June 29, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, its FY2011 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to the subcommittee’s summary table, the bill contains $60.535 billion in discretionary spending for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and several other agencies. This amount is $3.88 billion less than FY2010 and $2.685 million below President Obama’s budget request.
Department of Justice
The Justice Department would receive $30.031 billion in FY2011, $1.954 billion over FY2010 and $295.123 million over the president’s request. The Office of Violence Against Women would receive $459.773 million, which is $41.273 million over FY2010 and $21.273 million over the president’s request. The Office of Justice Programs would receive $2.767 billion in FY2011, $484.033 million over FY2010 and $697.59 million above the administration’s budget. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services also would receive $729.043 million, $62.565 below FY2010 and $39.043 above President Obama’s request.
Chair Alan Mollohan (D-WV) noted that the measure also contains $413 million for Adam Walsh, sex offender, and child exploitation prevention and treatment programs.
Science Programs
The measure would provide $26.431 billion for science programs, which is $773.58 million over FY2011 and equal to President Obama’s request. The amount includes $7.424 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF). This allocation is $497.89 million over FY2010 and equal to the president’s request. The NSF total includes $958.38 million for the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate, which houses several science education programs for women and minorities. In FY2010, EHR received $872.76 million; the president requested $892 million for FY2011.
Rep. Mollohan indicated that the bill would provide $1.5 billion to support all aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, from kindergarten through graduate school, saying, “The bill puts a particular focus on inquiry-based instruction, broadening minority participation, and increasing graduate student fellowships.”
Related Programs
Also included in the overall discretionary total is $9.4 million for the Commission on Civil Rights (level funded from FY2010 and equal to the president’s request), $385.303 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ($18 million over FY2010 and equal to the president’s request), and $440 million for the Legal Services Corporation ($20 million over FY2010 and $5 million over the administration’s request).
During consideration of the bill, the subcommittee rejected, 5-9, an amendment by Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) to reduce the bill’s overall discretionary spending in FY2011 by 3.18 percent.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
On June 30, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, its FY2011 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to the subcommittee’s summary table, the bill would provide $23.1 billion in discretionary spending in FY2011 for programs at the Department of Agriculture, FDA, and other agencies. This amount is $204 million less than FY2010 and $26.701 million below the president’s request.
The Department of Agriculture would receive $20.262 billion in FY2011, which is $204 million below FY2010 and $27 million below the administration’s request. Included in this amount is $7.127 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) ($125 million below FY2010 and $476 million below the president’s request). The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would receive $68 billion in FY2011, which Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) noted is “just over the administration’s request, and…nearly $10 billion above FY2010.” Child Nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch program, would receive $19 billion, which is “on par with the administration’s request.” Rep. DeLauro also noted that funding for the child nutrition programs includes $1 billion in reserve funds to “support the pending and crucially important reauthorization of our child nutrition programs.”
The P.L. 480 Food for Peace program would receive $1.69 billion, which is equal to FY2010 and the president’s request, while the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program would receive $266.5 million, $57 million over FY2010 and the president’s request.
The Food and Drug Administration would receive $2.571 billion, an increase of $214.193 million over FY2010 and $55 million over the administration’s request.
During consideration of the measure, the subcommittee rejected, 4-8, an amendment by Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) to reduce overall spending in the bill by $200 million. The subcommittee also rejected a second amendment by Rep. Latham to reduce overall spending by $100 million by a vote of 4-8.
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
On June 30, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approved, by voice vote, its FY2011 appropriations bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to the summary table, the measure provides $52.815 billion in mandatory and discretionary funds for programs at the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and humanitarian assistance. This amount is $3.892 billion over FY2010 and $4 billion less than President Obama’s request.
State Department and USAID
The State Department would receive $16.489 billion in FY2011, which is $545.942 million over FY2010 and $755.658 million less than the administration’s request. Included in this amount is $8.864 billion for Diplomatic and Consular programs ($637.218 million above FY2010 and $677.982 below President Obama’s request), $1.595 billion for contributions to international organizations ($87.07 million below FY2010 and equal to the president’s request), and $2.126 billion for contributions for international peacekeeping activities ($1.382 million over FY2010 and $55.918 million below the president’s request).
USAID would receive $1.41 billion for operating expenses, which is $21.2 million over FY2010 and $62.476 million below the administration’s request.
Bilateral Economic and Multilateral Assistance Programs
Global health and child survival programs would receive a total of $8.25 billion, $471 million over FY2010 and $263 million below the president’s request. This amount includes $5.525 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ($166 million over FY2010 and $25 million over the president’s request) and $2.725 billion for global health and child survival programs at USAID ($305 million over FY2010 and $288 million below the administration’s request).
The Global Fund would receive $825 million ($75 million over FY2010 and $125 million above the president’s request), while voluntary family planning programs would receive $735 million ($86.543 million above FY2010 and $20 million over the president’s request). The family planning total includes $60 million for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) ($5 million over FY2010 and $10 million over the administration’s request). Chair Nita Lowey (D-NY) noted that “This bill does not change any of the provisions of law that restrict funding for abortion or otherwise condition family planning assistance. While I continue to be personally committed to the permanent repeal of the global gag rule, I have maintained current law at the request of our ranking member and out of consideration for a bipartisan bill.”
Migration and Refugee Assistance would receive $1.643 billion. This amount is $42 million less than FY2010 and $37.6 million over the president’s request. The Millennium Challenge Corporation would receive $1.105 billion, equal to FY2010 and $174.7 million below the president’s request.
International organizations and programs within Multilateral Assistance (e.g., U.N Children’s Fund and U.N. Development Fund for Women) would receive $398 million in FY2011. This amount is $4 million above FY2010 and $47.45 million above President Obama’s request.
The subcommittee rejected, 5-8, an amendment by Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT) to reduce overall spending in the bill by 7.27 percent and multilateral assistance funds by 31.85 percent.
Legislative Branch
On July 1, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Legislative Branch approved, by voice vote, its spending bill for FY2011 (as-yet-unnumbered).
Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said that the measure would provide $3.649 billion in FY2011. This amount is $6.8 million less than FY2010 and $337 million below the president’s request.
Funding for the House child care center is allocated in the Legislative Branch spending bill.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies also approved, by voice vote, its FY2011 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered) on July 1.
The measure would provide $124.6 billion in mandatory and discretionary funds for FY2011 for programs at the Departments of Transportation and HUD and other agencies. This amount includes $79.3 billion for the Department of Transportation ($3.7 billion over FY2010 and $1.7 billion over the president’s request) and $46.6 billion for HUD ($520 million over FY2010 and $1 billion over President Obama’s request).
Housing and Urban Development
According to the summary table, the bill includes $9.382 billion for Section 8 project-based assistance ($830.8 million over FY2010 and equal to the president’s request) and $17.225 billion for Section 8 tenant-based renewals ($885.8 over FY2010 and $85 million below the president’s request).
Chair John Olver (D-MA) noted that the bill also includes $85 million for a “new demonstration [program] to provide housing and services to homeless families and individuals” and $2.1 billion for homeless assistance grants “to provide permanent and transitional housing for homeless families and individuals.”
Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS would receive $350 million in FY2011, which is $15 million over FY 2010 and $10 million over President Obama’s request.
