DHS Appropriations FY2016: Research and Development, Training, and Services

Summary

This report is part of a suite of reports that discuss appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2016. It specifically discusses appropriations for the components of DHS included in the fourth title of the homeland security appropriations bill—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO). Collectively, Congress has labeled these components in appropriations acts in recent years as “Research and Development, Training, and Services.”

The report provides an overview of the Administration’s FY2016 request for Research, Development, Training, and Services, the appropriations proposed by Congress in response, and those enacted. Rather than limiting the scope of its review to the fourth title, the report includes information on provisions throughout the proposed bill and report that directly affect these functions.

Research and Development, Training, and Services is the second smallest of the four titles that carry the vast majority of the funding in the bill. The Administration requested $1,554 million for these components in FY2016, $241 million less than was provided for FY2015. These four components made up 3.7% of the Administration’s $41.4 billion request for the department in net discretionary budget authority. The completion of funding for construction of the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility in FY2015 reduced the demand for facilities funding by $300 million—part of an overall reduction of $325 million in the request for S&T from FY2015 enacted levels. DNDO’s budget request rose by $49 million (16.1%), while USCIS and FLETC saw smaller increases in their requests.

Senate-reported S. 1619 would have provided the components included in this title $1,451 million in net discretionary budget authority. This would have been $103 million (6.6%) less than requested, and $344 million (19.2%) less than was provided in FY2015.

House-reported H.R. 3128 would have provided the components included in this title $1,503 million in net discretionary budget authority. This would have been $51 million (3.3%) less than requested, and $292 million (16.2%) less than was provided in FY2015.

On December 18, 2015, the President signed into law P.L. 114-113, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, Division F of which was the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2016. The act included $1,499 million for these components in FY2016, a $55 million (3.5%) decrease from the request and $296 million (16.5%) below FY2015.

Additional information on the broader subject of FY2016 funding for the department can be found in CRS Report R44053, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2016, as well as links to analytical overviews and details regarding appropriations for other components.

This report will be updated if supplemental appropriations are provided for any of these components through the FY2016 appropriations process.