Keeping Spending in Check--Latest Discretionary Spending Bill Cuts $16 Billion Since FY10
Press Release
Recently, the FY2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act was enacted to fund the federal government and other activities for the remainder of the fiscal year. The following are some of the legislation's major highlights:
Overall Funding
The Omnibus provides $1.012T in base discretionary spending consistent with the level provided in the Ryan-Murray Budget Agreement.
This level is:
$191B below the President's vision for FY14 in his first budget request in 2009.
$79B below the FY11 enacted budget
$46B below the Senate's FY14 budget
$27B below the level expected in Paul Ryan's original Path to Prosperity for FY14
Below FY09 enacted levels.
For total discretionary spending, the Omnibus is $21B below last year's post-sequester level -- first time since the Korean War spending has been cut 4 years in a row.
Passage of the Omnibus will result in total discretionary savings of $165B since FY10
Military Pension "Fix"
Amends the Ryan-Murray agreement to ensure that medically retired armed forces personnel and survivor benefit plan recipients receive their full pensions.
Obamacare
Holds the line on Obamacare funding to post sequester levels -- no new or additional funding in this bill for the ACA.
Prevents the Secretary of HHS from siphoning a $1B Obamacare slush fund and cuts $10M from the IPAB.
Administration Priorities
Does not include language regarding the IMF transfer requested by the Administration.
Blocks the Administration's $700M new Pre-K initiative.
Agriculture
Overall Funding
Provides $22.9B, nearly equal to the level spent in FY09.
GIPSA
Restricts the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) from implementing regulations that allow harmful federal government intrusion in the private market for livestock and poultry, which would cost the industry billions.
CFTC
Included in the bill is $215M for the CFTC, which is $100 million below the Senate level. $35 million is dedicated for information technology and prevents hiring more bureaucrats and overreaching regulation.
Cybersecurity
Increased by $27M to improve USDA's cyber network to prevent hacking of sensitive data related to our producers.
FDA User Fee
Restores user fee revenue used to expedite the approval of life-saving drugs and medical devices that was lost due to sequestration.
Oversight
Rescinds $270M in monies that were being unused by the USDA
Cuts $49M from the biofuels program and eliminates the Pesticide Record Keeping program.
Prevents funding for the creation of a new and unnecessary USDA budget office.
Contains stringent requirements for the WIC program, including food venders to certain costs and ensure proper spending.
Contains new reporting requirements for SNAP and School Nutrition Programs to reduce error rates, fraud, and improper payments.
Commerce, Justice, Science
Overall Funding
Provides $51.6B, which is $6B below the FY09 funding level.
2nd Amendment Rights
Maintains all important 2nd amendment policy provisions including prohibitions on various criteria related to the import and export of certain firearms.
Supports Critical Law Enforcement
Increases funding for the FBI $232M above FY13 prioritizing counter-terrorism and cyber-security activities.
DEA is increased by $21M above FY13 with special emphasis placed on prescription drug abuse and methamphetamine.
Increases federal prison funding by $79M above FY13 to maintain current staffing and continue the activation of new federal prisons.
Fast & Furious
Includes a provision preventing any funding from being used to implement any future Fast & Furious type activity.
Pro-Life
Maintains all pro-life riders including a ban preventing the Legal Services Corporation from participating in abortion related litigation and a ban on providing abortion services to federal prisoners.
GITMO
Prohibits any funding from being used to transfer detainees in Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to the U.S. and for construction or acquisition of a prison in the U.S. to house such detainees.
Critical Research Investments
Prioritizes National Science Foundation funding to programs that strengthen U.S. innovation and competitiveness.
Provides the Patent and Trademark Office with a $91M increase, meeting commitments made by the Republican led Patent Reform legislation.
Provides necessary funding for NOAA to provide new weather forecasting satellites and continue essential weather forecasting and warning activities.
Defense
Overall Funding
Provides $486.9B preventing the next round of sequester cuts from imperiling our military readiness and national security.
Military Pay
Fully funds the 1% pay raise for troops.
Military Health
Increases funding by $823M above the President's request for military health activities, including research on traumatic brain injuries and prosthetic devices.
Operations
Prioritizes funding for essential readiness programs to ensure maximum troop preparedness, flight time and battle training, equipment and facility maintenance, and base operations.
Funding Prohibitions/Restrictions
Prohibits funds to conduct and acquisition under section 702 of FISA to target a U.S. person.
Prohibits funds to acquire, store, or monitor the electronic communications of a U.S. person from a public service provider under section 501 of FISA.
Restricts funds for Pakistan until stringent requirements and certifications are met.
Restricts funds for Rosenboroexport, the Russian supplier of arms, to Syria regime fighters.
Prohibits the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund from being used to commence any new projects.
Restricts sharing of classified information on U.S. Defense Systems with Russia.
Energy and Water
Overall Funding
Provides approximately $34B and shifts a larger percentage of funding into critical infrastructure projects and nuclear weapons activities while moving it away from conservation research activities.
Light Bulbs
The bill prohibits the Department of Energy from forcing manufacturers to stop producing incandescent light bulbs.
Security Funding
Increases funding by $874M above current spending to support our nuclear weapons infrastructure and stockpile.
Provides full funding for the critical life extension of the B61 warhead, one of our most important nuclear war deterrents.
Water Resources Infrastructure
Increases funding for the Army Corps of Engineers by 10% above the FY13 enacted level focusing these funds on projects related to navigation and flood control, public safety, job creation, and U.S. waterways.
Provides over $1B for activities related to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
Increases funding for inland waterways projects.
Prohibits the attempt by the Administration to change the definition of "fill material," which could have harmful effects on many U.S. industries.
EERE
Blocks the President's attempt to move more energy research funding to renewable, decreasing funding by $874M or 32% below the President's request.
All of the Above Energy Strategy
Strategically targets funds to ensure a balanced investment into nuclear, fossil, and renewables to improve our energy independence and fight higher energy prices.
Yucca Mountain
Maintains funding to finish the third volume of the Yucca Mountain Safety Evaluation Report.
Financial Services
Overall Funding
Provides $21.8B which is $84M below the FY09 enacted level.
IRS
Decreases funding for the IRS by $526M below the enacted level.
No new money is included for Obamacare related activities.
$92M is set aside to improve taxpayer services and address refund fraud, identity theft, and overseas compliance.
Includes a provision prohibiting funds being used to target groups for scrutiny based upon their political beliefs or to target citizens for exercising their 1st Amendment rights.
Prohibits funds for video production that have not been reviewed for cost, content, tone, and purpose.
Requires extensive reporting on IRS spending, training, and bonuses.
Pro-Life
Prohibits the District of Columbia from using either local or federal funds from being used to provide abortions or abortion related services.
Prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions within Federal Employee Health Benefit Program.
Blocks Senate language to provide DC with local funds budget autonomy.
Dodd-Frank
Blocks the $324M increase for the SEC pushed by the Senate and White House.
Rescinds $25M in "slush fund" monies for the SEC to implement programs that were not authorized by Congress.
Increases transparency by requiring the Administration to provide reports on the costs of Dodd-Frank.
Federal Trade Commission
Prohibits the FTC to report on the marketing of food to children unless they conduct a cost-benefit analysis.
Good Government Provisions
Government-wide prohibition on requiring businesses from having to disclose political contributions as part of the bid process for Federal contracts.
Blocks a pay-raise for the Vice-President and senior political appointees.
Requires extensive reporting requirements on GSA's facility inventory, spending, training, bonuses, takings, and facility exchanges.
Government-wide prohibition on the painting of portraits.
Homeland Security
Overall Funding
Provides $39.3B for department activities, which is a reduction of $336M from FY13 and $2.9B below FY09 levels.
Includes provisions to reduce Departmental overhead by $19.4M below the post-sequester level.
Requires 31 spend plans; denies the creation of three new bureaucratic headquarters offices; and mandates the first-ever comprehensive accounting of DHS's ammunition inventories, usage, and purchases.
Customs and Border Patrol
Provides for 21,307 patrol agents and 24,800 CBP officers -- the highest totals in the history of the agency to further their ability to combat illegal immigration and address issues surrounding our ports and borders.
2,000 new CBP agents are provided to reduce passenger processing times at airport customs stations. This staffing increase is tied to performance metrics that CBP is required to share with Congress and industry stakeholders.
Landmark new authority for public-private partnerships at ports of entry is included.
Immigration/Detention Beds
Includes statutory language requiring the Secretary to ensure enforcement of immigration laws and provide for a minimum daily average of 34,000 detention beds - the highest largest capacity ever.
Fully funds E-verify
Blocks the Administration's and Senate's efforts to cut ICE enforcement increasing these activities by 4.5% above the request.
Eliminates the ICE Public Advocate, or any successor position.
TSA
Cuts TSA budget by $200M.
Does not allow TSA to collect an increased passenger security fee as proposed by the Senate.
Increases privatized airport screening activities by $5M and requires TSA to apply generally accepted accounting methods to accurately compare the costs of private screening versus federal screening.
Maintains a 46,000 FTE cap on TSA screeners.
Adds funding for 10 new canine teams.
Interior
Overall Funding
Provides $30.1B for interior bill programs.
EPA
Decreases EPA funding by 143M below the FY13 enacted level. Overall EPA funding has been reduced by $2.1B or 20.4% since FY10.
Since FY10, the EPA staffing has been reduced by 2,059 FTE bringing staffing to the lowest levels since 1989.
Rejects a $72M proposal by the President for EPA regulatory programs.
Includes a provision to relieve livestock operations from EPA permitting requirements.
Includes a provision to exempt livestock producers from EPA greenhouse gas regulations.
Domestic Energy Production
Blocks a Senate proposal to increase from 30 to 90 days the review period for OCS leases.
Blocks a Senate and Administration proposal to impose new inspection fees for onshore oil and gas producers.
Provides additional resources to promote domestic onshore energy and minerals development.
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
Holds LWCF to post-sequester levels ($360M)
"Wildlands"
Prohibits Interior from administratively creating new wilderness areas.
Expedited Permitting
Dedicates new funding for the Bureau of Ocean Management to approve drilling permits, expedite explorations plan approvals, and hire inspectors and engineers.
Grazing
Extends authority to renew grazing permits administered by BLM and the Forest Service for two years.
Includes a provision to clamp down on frivolous environmental law suits related to gazing issues.
Includes a new provision protecting trailing livestock across public lands to grazing allotments.
Blocks and Administration/Senate proposal to institute new grazing fees on BLM and Forest Service Lands.
Provides additional resources to reduce grazing permit backlogs.
Wildfire Funding
Fully funds wildfire operations at the 10-year average and fully reimburses agencies for all fire borrowing in FY13.
Provides $452M for hazardous fuels activities, which is $150 M above the President's budget request.
Eisenhower Memorial Commission
The agreement does not include any funding for the construction of the Eisenhower Memorial and urges the Commission to work with Congress and the Eisenhower family in the planning and design process. There is ongoing dispute over the memorial design; the current design is not supported by the Eisenhower family. The bill includes language from the Continuing Resolution that maintains the status quo while ensuring that authorizing committees have sufficient opportunity to weigh in before construction of the Memorial begins.
Labor/HHS/Education
Overall Funding
Provides $156.8B, which is $9B below the President's request.
Obamacare
Provides no new funding for Obamacare
Holds the line on Obamacare funding in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the post-sequester level and walls off new CMS money to solely fund benefits processing for our increasing senior population and implement the "Doc-fix".
Prevents the Secretary of HHS from siphoning off funding from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support Obamacare exchanges.
Eliminates all funding ($10M) for the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
Pro-Life
Includes a $5 million set-aside for abstinence-only education.
Decreases Title X funding by $10M below the FY13 level.
Maintains all current pro-life riders such as: conscience protection, the Hyde Amendment, Hyde-Weldon Abortion non-discrimination, rape reporting requirements, and Dickey Wicker restrictions on Embryo Destructive Research funding.
NLRB -- electronic voting
Continues a prohibition on the NLRB from promulgating a proposed rule that would institute electronic voting for union certification ("e-Card Check"), preserving the integrity of the secret ballot.
Lobbing Restrictions
Strengthens the prohibition on using federal funds for lobbying.
LIHEAP
Protects the current ratio for funding between cold weather and warm weather states.
Needle Exchange
Continues ban on needle exchange programs
No funding for New Administration Programs
Denies the Administration's proposed Preschool Development Grants program and Race to the Top College Affordability program
Cuts NLRB Funding
Decrease NLRB's budget by $4M compared to last year's level, and by $10.8M compared to the President's request.
Cuts Department of Labor Funding
Decreases DOL funding by $449M compared with the FY13 level.
Fighting Diseases
Provides $6.9B for the CDC, including: $30M for the Advanced Molecular Detection initiative; $160M for the Preventative Health and Health Services Block Grant; $1.3B for Public Health Preparedness and Response; and $225M for Project Bioshield
Provides $29.9B for NIH to support basic biomedical research and translational research through programs like the Clinical and Translational Science Award, and Institutional Development Award
Legislative Branch
Overall Funding
Provides $4.2B virtually maintaining the sequester level of funding for House activities.
Capitol Police
Maintains Capitol Police funding at the FY13 enacted level.
Dome Project
Provides $16M to continue the next phase of the Capitol Dome restoration project. This is the first time the Dome has been restored since it was built in 1865.
Milcon/VA
Overall Funding
Provides $73.3B which is an increase of $1.4 billion above the FY13 enacted level.
Electronic Health Records
Ensures that the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs are developing electronic health records that seamlessly transfer medical information between the two departments providing $323M for these activities.
Medical Services
Provides $43.6B to provide care for approximately 6.5 million patients estimated to be treated in 2014.
VA Disability Claims Backlog
Includes a comprehensive initiative to reduce the current backlog with the goal of ending the backlog by 2015.
$90M for potential overtime and $10M for claims processers.
$140M for IT upgrades to improve the paperless claims processing system.
$88M for the Board of Veterans' Appeals to address the growing appeals backlog.
Includes provisions directing audits to assess performance and rigorous monthly reporting requirements to track the performance of each regional office.
Savings
Saves $1.4B by rescinding unused funding and eliminating 20 military construction projects that lacked sufficient justifications.
State and Foreign Operations
Overall Funding
Provides $49B which is a decrease of $4.3B below the FY13 enacted level.
Embassy Security/Benghazi
Boots embassy security by providing $5.4B to ensure the protection of personnel and facilities - $25M more than the President requested.
Prohibits aid to Libya until the Secretary of State confirms the Libyan cooperation in the Benghazi investigation.
Pro-Life
Blocks $4.5M increase for UNFPA pushed by the Senate and retains language withholding funds dollar-for-dollar from UNFPA if they operate a program in China.
Maintains all longstanding prolife riders including: the Tiahrt amendment ensuring family planning programs are voluntary, the Helms Amendment banning foreign aid on abortions, the Kemp-Kasten Amendment prohibiting funds to organizations that the Administration determines to support coercive abortions or involuntary sterilization, and the prohibition on Peace Corps funds being used for abortions.
Funding Restrictions
Includes the following Prohibitions:
A prohibition on funding for the renovation of UN Headquarters in New York;
A prohibition on appropriations for a new London embassy;
Providing no funding or authorities for debt relief for foreign countries;
A prohibition on funding to move the Vatican embassy unless certain conditions are met; and
A prohibition on funding to implement the UN Arms Trade Treaty.
Providing no funding for assessed and voluntary contributions for the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UN Reform
Conditions funds for the UN Human Rights Council and withholds 15% of funds for UN Agencies until audits are made fully available.
Energy Production Loans
Prohibits OPIC and Export-Import Bank from blocking coal-fired or other power-generation projects in low and lower-middle income countries as had been proposed.
Israel
Fully funds the $3.1B commitment in the U.S./Israel Memorandum of Understanding.
Palestinian Authority
Stops economic assistance to the Palestinian Authority if the Palestinians obtain membership to the United Nations or UN agencies without an agreement with Israel. In addition, the bill puts new restrictions on aid if the Palestinians pursue actions against Israel at the International Criminal Court. New language is included to ensure that the Palestinian Authority is taking action to counter incitement violence.
Country Restrictions
Conditions aid to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority and requires Congressional notification before aid can be sent.
THUD
Overall Funding
Provides $50.8B which is a decrease of $961M below the FY13 enacted level and $4.1B below FY09 levels.
AMTRAK
Reduces AMTRAK operations by $126M.
Includes a provision to limit overtime for AMTRAK employees to reduce unnecessary costs.
Prohibits federal funding for routes where AMTRAK offers a discount of 50% of more off normal peak fares.
High Speed Rail
Fully funds the MAP-21 level of $41B for FY14 for the federal highway program.
Aviation
Blocks a Senate proposal to institute a new airline passenger fee.
Fully funds air traffic control and aviation safety operations in the FAA while reducing overall department funding by $168M.
Transit
Decreases funding for the Federal Transit Administration by $100M.
Limits transit New Start funding to projects requiring 60% or less Federal Share.
Meets the funding level set out in MAP-21.
Maritime
Funds the Maritime Security Program at $186 million.
Provides $35M for ship construction loans.
Housing
Decreases funding for HUD by $687M below the FY13 enacted level.
Includes 8 reforms to federal housing programs, which will save $200M in FY14 and over $1B in the next three years.
Prohibits funding for any green or sustainable housing initiatives.
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