Overview of FY2018 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)

Summary

This report describes actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2018 appropriations for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. It also provides an overview of FY2017 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded as part of annual CJS appropriations.

Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) provided a total of $66.360 billion (which includes $109 million in emergency funding) for CJS. Under the act, the Department of Commerce received $9.237 billion, the Department of Justice received $28.962 billion, the science agencies received $27.240 billion, and the related agencies received $921 million.

The Trump Administration requests a total of $62.331 billion for CJS for FY2018, a $4.029 billion (6.1%) reduction compared to the FY2016-enacted appropriation. The request includes $7.817 billion for the Department of Commerce, $28.205 billion for the Department of Justice, $25.751 billion for the science agencies, and $559 million for the related agencies. The Administration’s budget includes cuts for most CJS accounts. In addition to the funding reductions, the Administration proposes to eliminate several CJS agencies and programs, including the Economic Development Administration, the Minority Business Development Administration, the Legal Services Corporation, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Office of Education.

Over the past 10 fiscal years, nominal appropriations for CJS have experienced both year-to-year increases and decreases. CJS appropriations increased from FY2007 to FY2010, but generally declined from FY2010 to FY2013. Nominal appropriations for CJS were relatively flat in FY2014 and FY2015. CJS appropriations increased again, by approximately $4 billion, in FY2016, largely due to Congress increasing the discretionary budget cap in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74).

Increases in CJS appropriations in FY2009 and FY2010 were largely the result of Congress appropriating more funding for Commerce to support the 2010 decennial census. Although subsequent decreases in appropriations for Commerce account for much of the overall decrease in CJS appropriations between FY2010 and FY2013, cuts in funding for DOJ and NASA and sequestration in FY2013 also contributed to the decrease. The exception to the trend of decreasing appropriations from FY2010 to FY2013 was the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF’s appropriations generally increased each fiscal year since FY2007. Appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice and for NASA have generally increased each fiscal year since FY2013.