Continuing Resolution
This week Congress continued to move legislation to fund the government for FY2012. Although House and Senate Appropriations Committees have approved several of twelve spending bills, none would be enacted before the end of the fiscal year (September 30), therefore requiring that a continuing resolution (CR) be enacted to fund the government beyond September 30. On September 23, the House passed, 219-203, the CR (H.R. 2608), which would fund federal departments, agencies, and the District of Columbia local government through November 18, at a rate of 98.5 percent of the FY2011 program levels.
The measure includes $118.7 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and $1 billion in disaster relief assistance in FY2011 and $2.65 billion in FY2012.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
On September 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed, 28-2, the FY2012 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies spending bill (S. 1596). The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies subcommittee approved the legislation on September 20.
According to the subcommittee summary, the measure would provide $55.3 billion in FY2012 for the programs at the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, as well as other federal agencies. This amount is $100 million below FY2011 and $19.661 billion below President Obama’s request. The House subcommittee, which approved its version of the bill on September 8, would provide $55.15 billion in FY2012 (see The Source, 9/9/11).
Section 8 tenant-based housing assistance would be funded at $18.9 billion in FY2012, an increase of $501 million over FY2011. The amount includes $60 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency program. Project-based housing assistance would receive $9.4 billion, $161 million over FY2011, while Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) would receive $330 million ($5 million below FY2011 and the president’s request).
Additional details will be made available when the committee issues its report.
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
On September 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee also approved, 16-14, its FY2012 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill (S. 1599). The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies subcommittee approved the legislation on September 20.
The measure would provide overall funding of $725.9 billion, which would include $158 billion in discretionary funds. The bill would fund the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) ($70.18 billion), Labor ($12.69 billion), and Education ($68.43 billion) in FY2012.
Of the amount allocated for HHS, $30.5 billion would be set aside for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and $6.2 billion would be set aside for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The legislation would allocate $280 million for the Prevention and Public Health Fund for “implementing evidence-based public health interventions to reduce obesity and smoking, and make preventive services more accessible”; community health centers would receive $1.6 billion.
Head Start would receive an increase of $340 million over FY2011 (the program received $7.235 billion in FY2011; the president requested $8.1 billion for FY2012). The bill also includes $2.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. This amount is $73 million over FY2011 and $727 million below the president’s request. Included in that amount is $283.6 million for child care quality improvement activities.
The AIDS Drug Assistance Program would receive $900 million in FY2012, an increase of $15 million over FY2011.
The Department of Education’s Race to the Top program would receive $698.6 million in FY2012. Title I funding for local educational agencies would be $14.5 billion in FY2012; Pell Grant maximum awards would be capped at $5,550 ($4,860 of which would be discretionary funding).
Further details will be available once the committee releases its report.
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
On September 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee also approved, 28-2, the FY2012 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bill (S. 1601).
According to the committee summary, the bill would provide $44.64 billion in discretionary funding in FY2012. This amount is $3.52 billion below FY2011 and $6.15 billion below the administration’s request. It includes funding for the State Department, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and several other international assistance programs.
The Department of State would receive $13.8 billion in FY2012. This amount is $1.98 billion below FY2011. Diplomatic and consular programs would receive a total of $10.65 billion, which includes $3.77 billion for overseas contingency operations (OCO). This total is $1.2 billion below President Obama’s request.
The bill would allocate $1.9 billion for contributions for international peacekeeping activities, $16 million over FY2011. Overseas contingency operations would be funded at $17.9 million, for a total cost of $1.91 billion ($2.1 million below the administration’s request).
USAID would receive $1.25 billion, which is $96.3 million below FY2011. The bill would provide $106 million for OCO, bringing the total FY2012 funding level to $1.35 billion.
The legislation would provide a total of $19.58 billion for bilateral economic assistance, which funds global health, migration and refugee assistance, the Peace Corps, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Global health programs would receive $7.9 billion in FY2012. This amount is $75.69 million over FY2011, but $810.5 million below the president’s request. Maternal and child health would receive $595 million, which is $105 million below FY2011 and $251 million below the president’s request. Family planning would receive $700 million in FY2012, which includes $40 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In FY2011, family planning received $590 million and UNFPA did not receive any funding. The president requested $625.6 million for family planning services and $47.5 million in his FY2012 budget.
Programs to combat HIV/AIDS would receive a total of $5.6 billion in FY2012. This amount is $90 million below FY2011 and $390 million below the president’s request. Within this amount is $5.25 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR received $5.359 billion in FY2011; the president requested $5.642 billion for FY2012. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS would receive $750 million. This amount is $50 million over FY2011, but $295 million below the president’s request.
Migration and refugee assistance would receive $1.7 billion in FY2012. This amount is $13.38 million over FY2011 and $87 million over the president’s request.
The Peace Corps would receive $375 million, which is $750,000 over FY2011, but $64.6 million below the president’s request.
The legislation would provide $898.2 million for the Millennium Challenge Corporation in FY2012. This amount is equal to FY2011 but $226.9 million below the administration’s request.
Additional details will be made available once the committee releases its report.
