Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2015 Appropriations

Summary

Congressional Research Service

7-5700

www.crs.gov

R44172

Summary

The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent agencies. In its current form, it has existed since the 2007 reorganization of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. The House and Senate FSGG bills fund nearly the same agencies, with the exception of the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which is funded through the Agriculture appropriations bill in the House and the FSGG bill in the Senate. The FSGG bill does not include many financial regulatory agencies, which are funded outside of the appropriations process.

On March 4, 2014, President Obama submitted his FY2015 budget request. The request included a total of $45.2 billion for agencies funded through the FSGG appropriations bill, including $280 million for the CFTC.

On July 2, 2014, the House Committee on Appropriations reported the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 5016, H.Rept. 113-508, H.Rept. 113-508). The House of Representatives amended and passed H.R. 5016 on July 16, 2014. H.R. 5016 as passed would have provided $42.3 billion for agencies funded through the House FSGG Appropriations Subcommittee bill. In addition, the CFTC would have received $217.6 million through the FY2015 Agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 4800, H.Rept. 113-468). Total FY2015 funding in the House would have been $42.5 billion, about $2.7 billion below the President’s FY2015 request.

On July 24, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (hereinafter “the Senate subcommittee”) reported an unnumbered original bill as the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015. The Senate subcommittee bill would have provided $44.1 billion for FSGG agencies, including $280 million for the CFTC, approximately $1.1 billion below the President’s FY2015 request.

Prior to the beginning of FY2015, congressional action occurred on an interim continuing resolution (CR) that would have provided continuing appropriations for projects and activities for which authority existed during the previous fiscal year. H.J.Res. 124 passed the House on September 17 and the Senate on September 18, 2014, and it was signed by the President on September 19, 2014 (P.L. 113-164). P.L. 113-164 provided funding through December 11, 2014. Two additional CRs were passed prior to a final FY2015 FSGG appropriation. H.J.Res 130 (P.L. 113-202) was enacted on December 12, providing funding through December 13, 2014, and H.J.Res 313 (P.L. 113-302) was enacted on December 13, providing funding through December 17, 2014.

The full FY2015 FSGG appropriation was enacted as Division E of H.R. 83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235). The bill was passed as an amendment to a previously passed bill in the House on December 11 and the Senate on December 13, 2014. It was signed by the President on December 16, 2014. P.L. 113-235 provided a total of $43.2 billion for the FSGG agencies, $2 billion less than the original request.

Contents

Administration and Congressional Action 1

Overview 2

The Department of the Treasury 4

Brief Overview of the Treasury’s Structure and Functions 4

Departmental Offices 4

Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments 5

Office of Inspector General 5

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration 5

Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program 5

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 5

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 5

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 6

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 6

Internal Revenue Service 6

The President’s Budget Request 8

Departmental Offices 8

Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments 9

Office of Inspector General 9

Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program 10

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration 10

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 11

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 11

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 12

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 12

Treasury Forfeiture Fund 13

Internal Revenue Service 13

IRS Oversight Board’s Assessment of the IRS FY2015 Budget Request 14

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 16

Departmental Offices 16

Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence 16

Office of Inspector General 16

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration 17

Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program 17

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 17

Treasury Forfeiture Fund 18

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 18

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 18

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 19

Internal Revenue Service 19

Administration Reaction to H.R. 5016 21

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 21

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83,P.L. 113-235) 22

Departmental Offices 22

Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence 23

Department-Wide Systems and Capital Investments 23

Office of Inspector General 23

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration 23

Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program 23

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 23

Treasury Forfeiture Fund 24

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 24

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 24

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 24

Internal Revenue Service 24

Other Issues 25

Executive Office of the President 26

The President’s Budget Request and Key Issues 27

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 29

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 33

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83, P.L. 113-235) 35

The Judiciary 39

The Judiciary Budget and Key Issues 40

Judicial Security 41

Supreme Court 42

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 42

U.S. Court of International Trade 42

Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services 42

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts 43

Federal Judicial Center 44

United States Sentencing Commission 44

Judiciary Retirement Funds 44

Administrative Provisions 44

District of Columbia 45

The President’s Budget Request 48

The District’s FY2015 Budget 49

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 49

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 50

Continuing Appropriations Resolution FY2015 (P.L. 113-164) 51

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83, P.L. 113-235) 52

Independent Agencies 52

Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection 54

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 54

Consumer Product Safety Commission 55

The President’s Budget Request 55

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 56

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 56

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83,P.L. 113-235) 57

Election Assistance Commission 57

Federal Communications Commission 58

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 58

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 59

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83, P.L. 113-235) 59

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: Office of the Inspector General 59

Federal Election Commission 60

Federal Trade Commission 61

The President’s Budget Request 61

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 62

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 63

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83, P.L. 113-235) 63

General Services Administration 63

Electronic Government Fund (Now the Federal Citizen Services Fund) 65

Independent Agencies Related to Personnel Management Appropriations 66

Federal Labor Relations Authority 68

Merit Systems Protection Board 68

Office of Personnel Management 69

Office of Special Counsel 71

National Archives and Records Administration 71

National Credit Union Administration 72

Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board 72

Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board 73

Securities and Exchange Commission 73

Selective Service System 73

Small Business Administration 74

The President’s Budget Request 74

House Measure (H.R. 5016) 75

Senate Measure (Unnumbered Subcommittee bill) 75

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83, P.L. 113-235) 76

United States Postal Service 76

United States Tax Court 79

General Provisions Government-Wide 80

Cuba Sanctions 81

Tables

Table 1. Status of FY2015 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations 2

Table 2. Financial Services and General Government Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 3

Table 3. Department of the Treasury Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 7

Table 4. Executive Office of the President Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 26

Table 5. The Judiciary Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 39

Table 6. District of Columbia Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015: Special Federal Payments 47

Table 7. Independent Agencies Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 53

Table 8. GSA Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 64

Table 9. Independent Agencies Related to Personnel Management Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015 67

Contacts

Author Contact Information 83

Administration and Congressional Action

On March 4, 2014, President Obama submitted his FY2015 budget request, which included a total of $45.2 billion for agencies funded through the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill, including $280 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

On July 2, 2014, the House Committee on Appropriations (hereinafter “the House committee”) reported the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 5016, H.Rept. 113-508). The House of Representatives considered H.R. 5016 on July 16, 2014, amending the bill and then passing it on a vote of 228-208. H.R. 5016 as passed would have provided $42.3 billion for agencies funded through the House FSGG Appropriations Subcommittee bill. Separately, the House FY2015 Agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 4800, H.Rept. 113-468) would have provided $217.6 million for the CFTC. Total FY2015 funding in the House bills would have been $42.5 billion, about $2.7 billion below the President’s FY2015 request.

On July 24, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (hereinafter “the Senate subcommittee”) reported an unnumbered original bill as the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015. It also released a draft subcommittee report. The Senate subcommittee bill would have provided $44.1 billion for FSGG agencies, including $280 million for the CFTC, approximately $1.1 billion below the President’s FY2015 request. Table 1 reflects the status of FSGG appropriations measures at key points in the appropriations process.

Prior to the beginning of FY2015, congressional action occurred on an interim continuing resolution (CR) to provide continuing appropriations for projects and activities for which authority existed during the previous fiscal year. H.J.Res. 124 passed the House on September 17, 2014, passed the Senate on September 18, 2014, and was signed by the President on September 19, 2014 (P.L. 113-164). P.L. 113-164 provided funding through December 11, 2014. Two additional CRs were passed prior to a final FY2015 FSGG appropriation: (1) H.J.Res 5016 (P.L. 113-202) was enacted on December 12, providing funding through December 13, 2014; and (2) H.J.Res 313 (P.L. 113-203) was enacted on December 13, providing funding through December 17, 2014.

The full FY2015 FSGG appropriations were enacted as Division E of H.R. 83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235). H.R. 83 was introduced as a measure relating to the energy needs of the insular areas of the United States. The appropriations language was adopted as an amendment in the House on December 11, 2014. The amended bill passed the Senate on December 13, 2014, and was signed by the President on December 16, 2014. P.L. 113-235 provided a total of $43.2 billion for the FSGG agencies, $2 billion less than the original request. In lieu of a report on H.R. 83, the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations submitted an explanatory statement, printed in the Congressional Record for December 11, 2014, henceforth referred to as “Explanatory Statement, Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act, 2015.”

Table 1. Status of FY2015 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations

Subcommittee Markup

Committee Report

Floor Consideration

Conference Report

Final Adoption

Public Law

House

Senate

House

Senate

House

Senate

House

Senate

6/18/14

6/24/14

H.Rept. 113-508

6/25/14NoneH.R. 5106

7/16/14

253-170NoneNoneH.R. 83

12/11/14

219-206H.R. 83

12/13/14

56-40P.L. 113-235

12/16/13

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Overview

The FSGG appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent agencies. The bill does not, however, include funding for many financial regulatory agencies, which are funded outside of the appropriations process.

The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations reorganized their subcommittee structures in early 2007. Each chamber created a new Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. In the House, the jurisdiction of the FSGG Subcommittee comprised primarily agencies that had been under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies, commonly referred to as “TTHUD.” In addition, the House FSGG Subcommittee was assigned four independent agencies that had been under the jurisdiction of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Subcommittee: the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

In the Senate, the jurisdiction of the new FSGG Subcommittee was a combination of agencies from the jurisdiction of three previously existing subcommittees. The District of Columbia, which had its own subcommittee in the 109th Congress, was placed under the purview of the FSGG Subcommittee, as were four independent agencies that had been under the jurisdiction of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee: the FCC, FTC, SEC, and SBA. In addition, most of the agencies that had been under the jurisdiction of the TTHUD Subcommittee were assigned to the FSGG Subcommittee. As a result of this reorganization, the House and Senate FSGG Subcommittees have nearly identical jurisdictions, except that the CFTC is under the jurisdiction of the FSGG Subcommittee in the Senate and the Agriculture Subcommittee in the House.

Table 2 lists FSGG agencies enacted amounts for FY2014, the President’s FY2015 request, amounts from H.R. 5016 as passed by the House and the unnumbered original bill reported by the Senate FSGG Appropriations Subcommittee, and P.L. 113-235 as enacted.

Table 2. Financial Services and General Government Appropriations,

FY2014-FY2015

(in millions of dollars)

Agency

FY2014 Enacted

FY2015 Request

FY2015 House passed

FY2015 Senate Subcommittee

FY2015 Enacted

Department of the Treasury

$11,895

$12,845

$10,344

$12,012

$11,522

Executive Office of the President

670

628

669

683

688

The Judiciary

6,912

7,299

7,096

7,140

7,117

District of Columbia

673

702

637

701

680

Independent Agencies

2,305

2,769

1,943

2,557

2,293

Mandatory Retirement Accounts

20,762

20,980

20,980

20,980

20,980

Total

$43,217

$45,222

$41,669

$44,073

$43,191

Sources: P.L. 113-235 and Explanatory Statement; H.R. 5016 and accompanying H.Rept. 113-508; unnumbered FSGG bill reported by Senate Subcommittee; and H.R. 4800 and accompanying H.Rept. 113-468.

Notes: Totals for each column include funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The CFTC is funded in the House through the Agriculture appropriations bill and in the Senate through the FSGG bill. Figures include rescissions and offsetting collections. The mandatory spending for the President’s salary is contained in Title VI whereas the rest of presidential spending is in Title II. The mandatory retirement accounts include funding for judiciary retirement accounts. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

The Department of the Treasury

This section examines FY2015 appropriations for the Treasury Department and its operating bureaus, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Treasury Department performs a variety of critical functions. These include protecting the nation’s financial system against various illicit activities (such as money laundering and terrorist financing), collecting tax revenue and enforcing tax laws, managing and accounting for federal debt, administering the federal government’s finances, regulating certain financial institutions, and producing and distributing coins and currency.

Brief Overview of the Treasury’s Structure and Functions

At its most basic level of organization, Treasury consists of departmental offices and operating bureaus. In general, the offices are responsible for formulating and implementing policy initiatives and managing Treasury’s day-to-day operations, while the bureaus handle specific tasks assigned to Treasury, mainly through statutory mandates. In the past decade or so, the bureaus have accounted for more than 95% of the agency’s funding and workforce.

With one exception, the bureaus and offices can be neatly divided into those engaged in financial management and regulation and those engaged in law enforcement. In recent decades, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), U.S. Mint, Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), Financial Management Service (FMS), Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund have been responsible for the management of the federal government’s finances or the supervision and regulation of the key parts of the U.S. financial system. In contrast, law enforcement has been central to the duties managed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and the Treasury Forfeiture Fund (TFF). (With the advent of the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] in 2002, Treasury’s direct involvement in law enforcement shrank considerably.) The exception to this dichotomy is the IRS, whose main responsibilities encompass both the collection of tax revenue and the enforcement of tax laws and regulations.

The operating budgets for most Treasury bureaus and offices are largely funded through annual discretionary appropriations. This is the case for the IRS, FMS, BPD, FinCEN, TTB, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), and CDFI Fund. By contrast, funding for the Treasury Franchise Fund, U.S. Mint, BEP, and OCC comes exclusively from the fees they receive for the services and products they provide to the public and other government agencies.

A brief overview of each appropriations account for the Treasury Department follows:

Departmental Offices

The Departmental Offices (DO) account covers salaries and other expenses of offices in the department that formulate and implement policies dealing with domestic and international finance, terrorist financing and other financial crimes, taxation, and the domestic economy. Funding is also provided through DO for the Treasury Department’s financial and personnel management, procurement operations, and information and telecommunications systems.

Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments

The Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments Program (DSCIP) account covers investments in new technology and capital improvements aimed at modernizing Treasury’s administrative processes and increasing the efficiency of its operations across the board.

Office of Inspector General

The OIG account covers salaries and other expenses related to the audits and investigations conducted by OIG staff. These evaluations are intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Treasury’s operations and programs; prevent waste, fraud, and abuse; and inform the Treasury Secretary and Congress about problems or shortcomings in those activities.

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration

The TIGTA account covers salaries and other expenses related to the audits and investigations conducted by TIGTA staff. These evaluations focus mainly on IRS’s efforts to efficiently and effectively administer federal tax law. TIGTA’s investigations are also intended to deter or prevent fraud and abuse in IRS programs and operations, and recommend changes in those activities to solve problems or remedy deficiencies.

Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program

The SIGTARP account covers salaries and other expenses related to the audits and investigations into the management and effectiveness of TARP conducted by SIGTARP staff. The office was established by the same law that created TARP: the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

The FinCEN account covers salaries and other expenses related to the activities of FinCEN, whose main responsibility is to protect the domestic financial system from illicit uses, such as money laundering and terrorist financing. The statutory basis for this role is the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). FinCEN administers key provisions of the act by developing and implementing regulations and other guidance and working with private financial institutions and eight federal agencies to ensure that the financial industry complies with the BSA’s strict reporting requirements.

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) account provides funding for two sets of functions that until FY2014 were handled by two separate operating bureaus with separate appropriations accounts: the FMS and the BPD. After the consolidation, the BFS account covers salaries and other expenses related to developing and implementing payment policies and procedures for federal agencies; collecting debts owed to those agencies and state governments; and providing financial accounting, reporting, and financing services for the federal government and its agents. In addition, the BFS account covers salaries and other expenses related to the federal government’s public debt operations and the sale of U.S. bonds.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

The TTB account covers salaries and other expenses related to the activities of TTB, which was established by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. TTB is responsible for enforcing certain laws regarding the domestic sale and production of alcohol and tobacco products and federal consumer safety laws regarding the use of alcohol and tobacco products.

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

The account for the CDFI Fund provides funding for CDFIs’ activities. These institutions, which include community development banks, credit unions, and venture capital funds, provide financing (in the form of grants, loans, and equity investments) for affordable housing projects, small businesses, and community development projects in eligible areas. In addition, the fund administers the Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) Program and the New Markets tax credit. Since its creation in 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $2 billion to CDFIs, community development entities (CDEs), and depository institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) through the CDFI Program, the Native American CDFI Assistance Program, and the BEA Program. In addition, the Fund has allocated $40 billion in New Markets tax credits to CDEs.

Internal Revenue Service

The IRS account covers salaries and other expenses related to the administration of federal tax laws and the collection of revenue. Two critical components of the IRS’s operations and programs are (1) the services it offers taxpayers to help them understand and meet their tax obligations and (2) the measures it takes to improve voluntary taxpayer compliance and punish those who violate the law. Some appropriated funds are used to develop or upgrade business operations and information systems, as part of an ongoing effort by the IRS to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of taxpayer services and enforcement.

Table 3 lists for each of Treasury’s appropriations accounts the amounts for FY2014 as enacted, the President’s FY2015 request, H.R. 5016 as passed by the House, the unnumbered original bill reported by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, and P.L. 113-235 as enacted.

Table 3. Department of the Treasury Appropriations, FY2014-FY2015

(in millions of dollars)

Appropriations Account

FY2014 Enacted

FY2015 Request

FY2015 House-passed

FY2015 Senate Subcommittee

FY2015 Enacted

Departmental Offices (Salaries and Expenses)

$312

$309

$173

$317

$210

Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments

3

3

—

3

3

Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

—

—

120

—

113

Office of Inspector General

35

35

35

35

35

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration

156

157

159

157

158

Special Inspector General for Troubled Asset Relief Program

35

34

34

34

34

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

226

225

231

230

231

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

112

109

112

109

112

Bureau of the Fiscal Servicea

360

348

348

348

348

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

99

96

96

100

100

Payment for Losses in Shipment

2

2

2

2

2

Internal Revenue Service (total)

11,291

12,477

9,803

11,527

10,945

Taxpayer Services

2,123

2,318

2,139

2,200

2,157

Enforcementb

5,022

5,372

3,796

5,054

4,860

Operations Support Activitiesc

3,741

4,457

3,618

3,942

3,638

Business Systems Modernization

313

330

250

330

290

General Provision

92

—

—

—

—

Rescissions: Treasury Forfeiture Fund

(-736)

(-950)

(-750)

(-850)

(-769)

Total

$11,895

$12,845

$10,344

$12,012

$11,522

Sources: P.L. 113-235 and Explanatory Statement; H.R. 5016 and accompanying H.Rept. 113-508; unnumbered FSGG bill reported by Senate Subcommittee; and the U.S. Treasury Department.

Notes: Figures are rounded and may not sum due to rounding.

Starting in FY2104, the appropriations accounts for the Financial Management Service and the Bureau of Public Debt were combined into a single account called the Bureau of Fiscal Service. The main justification for the consolidation was to improve the efficacy and efficiency of Treasury’s financial management operations.

The requested appropriations for FY2015 include $238 million in additional funds as a program integrity cap adjustment for IRS enforcement initiatives to reduce future deficits.

The requested appropriations for FY2015 include $242 million in additional funds as a program integrity cap adjustment for IRS enforcement initiatives to reduce future deficits.

The President’s Budget Request

The President requested $13.315 billion (not including the proposed cancellation of $950 million in unobligated balances from the TFF) in appropriations for the Department of the Treasury in FY2015, or $950 million more than the amount enacted for FY2014. Under the budget request, the IRS would have received $12.477 billion. The nine other Treasury appropriations accounts identified in the proposal would have received a total of $1.318 billion.

Treasury’s FY2015 budget request was intended to promote the following six “strategic” goals:

foster domestic economic growth and stability while continuing to reform the financial system;

enhance U.S. competitiveness and job creation;

encourage international financial stability and balanced growth in the global economy;

reform and modernize the federal fiscal management and tax systems;

protect the financial system from illegal activities and use financial measures to counter threats to national security; and

improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government programs through the increased use of electronic transactions with customers.

More details on the Administration’s budget request for each Treasury appropriations account follow.

Departmental Offices

The President’s FY2015 budget request for the Treasury Department included $308.7 million in appropriations for DO, or $3.7 million less than the amount enacted for FY2014. With the addition of projected reimbursable expenses associated with activities funded through the DO account, the DO operating budget would have totaled $378.2 million in FY2015.

Of the requested amount, $37.9 million would have gone to executive direction, $57.5 million to international affairs and economic policy, $68.7 million to domestic finance and tax policy, $105.9 million to terrorism and financial intelligence, and $38.6 million to Treasury management and related programs.

Department-wide Systems and Capital Investments

The FY2015 budget request for the Treasury Department called for $2.7 million in appropriations for DSCIP, or the same amount enacted in FY2014. No funds were appropriated for the account in FY2012 and FY2013.

Of the requested amount, $1.5 million would have been used to design and install a “Data Leakage Protection” system to monitor the department’s outgoing data (including email) to determine if any sensitive information was being “inadvertently transmitted.” The remaining $1.2 million would have been used to replace the interior rain leaders in the main Treasury building and repair or replace windows damaged by water leaks.

Office of Inspector General

The Treasury Department asked for $35.4 million in appropriated funds for OIG in FY2015, or $551,000 more than the amount enacted for FY2014. Allowing for an estimated $13.0 million in payments for services rendered by OIG, its operating budget in FY2015 could have totaled $48.4 million.

The funds would have been used to conduct mandatory and other audits and investigations of the department’s riskier programs and operations. Under the budget request, the Office of Audits would have received $28.3 million in appropriated funds, as well as the $13.0 million in reimbursements. Among the mandatory audits are those related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), the Federal Information Security Management Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In addition, OIG is responsible for conducting audits of projects and programs funded through the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund; the budget request included $2.8 million for costs related to OIG’s oversight of the trust fund projects and programs. The Office of Audits expects to complete 75 audits in FY2015.

The remaining $7.1 million of the requested appropriations would have been allocated to the Office of Investigations. Its main priorities for FY2015 are investigating (1) allegations of criminal and other misconduct by Treasury employees, (2) allegations of fraud and other crimes related to Treasury contracts, grants, and loan guarantees, (3) Treasury programs and operations that issue licenses, provide benefits, and regulate financial institutions, and (4) threats to Treasury employees and facilities.

Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program

The Treasury Department requested $34.2 million in appropriations for SIGTARP in FY2015, or $689,000 less than the amount enacted for FY2014. This decrease reflected $1.5 million in anticipated efficiency savings, along with an increase of $823,000 to maintain the FY2014 level of operation. When combined with an expected $11.9 million in funds from other accounts and unobligated balances from previous years, the budget request would have given SIGTARP an operating budget of $46.2 million in FY2015.

The funds would have been used to support the office’s main duties of fostering transparency in Treasury’s management of TARP-funded programs for which the federal government has contracts or guarantees; assessing the effectiveness of TARP; and preventing, investigating, and referring for prosecution instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in TARP-funded programs. SIGTARP carries out its responsibilities through audits and investigations. In FY2015, accordi