The House Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Subcommittee on Appropriations, chaired by Representative John Culberson (TX-07), approved the fiscal year 2017 CJS Appropriations bill today. This legislation funds the Departments of Justice and Commerce, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF) and other related agencies.
"This bill prioritizes law enforcement and space exploration while putting provisions in place to protect American taxpayers. My first priority is to be a good steward of the taxpayers' hard earned dollars, and the second is to ensure that law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to do their important work," Rep. Culberson said. "This legislation balances those two priorities and also makes sure that the United States continues to be a leader in scientific research and space exploration. Developments in these areas bolster America's economy and improve quality of life for all Americans."
The legislation provides $56 billion in discretionary funding. The fiscal year 2017 CJS Appropriations bill eliminates wasteful spending by terminating thirty-three grant programs. Additional provisions are in place to protect American taxpayers, including; requiring all agencies under the subcommittee's jurisdiction to submit a detailed spending plan, capping life cycle costs for poorly performing programs, and requiring quarterly reports on immigration judge performance.
Key Highlights of the Bill:
Department of Justice (DOJ): The DOJ is funded at $29 billion, an increase of $347 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. This allocation gives law enforcement entities the necessary resources to protect the lives and property of Americans.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): The bill provides the FBI with $9.1 billion, $279 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. This additional funding is focused on cybercrime, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence activities.
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA): The DEA is funded at $2.5 billion, an increase of $34 million from fiscal year 2016 enacted levels. $103 million in grants are provided to address opioid abuse as authorized by the House last week in the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016. The Drug Task Forces are funded at $522 million, a $10 million increase.
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR): Allocated funding for the EOIR is $457 million, an increase of $34 million from last year's level. This funding will provide for twenty-five additional immigration judges to streamline immigration reviews and reduce case backlog. This is in addition to the fifty-five immigration judges added in fiscal year 2016.
NASA: NASA is funded at $19.5 billion, $223 million above last years enacted level. This legislation advances space exploration and ensures our nation remains the world's leader in space exploration and science.
Additional provisions included in the FY2017 CJS Appropriations Bill:
Continuation of provisions to protect Americans' Second Amendment rights;
A continuation of prohibition of funds to be used by the Department of Commerce with respect to the Internet Domain Name System functions; and
Prohibition on the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees into the United States.