Overview of FY2018 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
Released: 2018-05-01T00:00:00

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

The dollar amounts in this report reflect only new funding made available at the start of the fiscal year. Therefore, the amounts do not include any rescissions of unobligated or deobligated balances that may be counted as offsets to newly enacted appropriations, nor do they include any scorekeeping adjustments (e.g., the budgetary effects of provisions limiting the availability of the balance in the Crime Victims Fund). In the text of the report, appropriations are rounded to the nearest million. However, percentage changes are calculated using whole, and not rounded, numbers, meaning that in some instances there may be small differences between the actual percentage change and the percentage change that would be calculated by using the rounded amounts discussed in the report.

The following reports contain a more in-depth review of appropriations for specific CJS departments and agencies

CRS Report R43908, The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview . CRS Report R44938, FY2018 Appropriations for the Department of Justice . CRS Report R44893, FY2018 Appropriations for Department of Justice Grant Programs . CRS Report R42672, The Crime Victims Fund: Federal Support for Victims of Crime . CRS Report R43935, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP): History and Overview . CRS Report R43419, NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet . CRS Report R44882, Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) FY2018 Appropriations: Trade-Related Agencies . CRS Report R45009, The National Science Foundation: FY2018 Appropriations and Funding History .

Overview of CJS

The annual CJS appropriations act provides funding for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, select science agencies, and several related agencies. Appropriations for the Department of Commerce include funding for agencies such as the Census Bureau, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) provide funding for agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Prisons; the U.S. Marshals; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with funding for a variety of grant programs for state, local, and tribal governments. The vast majority of funding for the science agencies goes to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. The annual appropriation for the related agencies includes funding for agencies such as the Legal Services Corporation and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Department of Commerce

The mission of the Department of Commerce is to "create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity." The department promotes "job creation and economic growth by ensuring fair and reciprocal trade, providing the data necessary to support commerce and constitutional democracy, and fostering innovation by setting standards and conducting foundational research and development." The department has wide-ranging responsibilities including trade, economic development, technology, entrepreneurship and business development, monitoring the environment, forecasting weather, managing marine resources, and statistical research and analysis. The Department of Commerce pursues and implements policies that affect trade and economic development by working to open new markets for U.S. goods and services and promoting pro-growth business policies. It also invests in research and development to foster innovation.

The agencies within the Department of Commerce, and their responsibilities, include the following:

International Trade Administration (ITA) seeks to strengthen the international competitiveness of U.S. industry, promote trade and investment, and ensure fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements; Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) works to ensure an effective export control and treaty compliance system and promote continued U.S. leadership in strategic technologies by maintaining and strengthening adaptable, efficient, effective export controls and treaty compliance systems, along with active leadership and involvement in international export control regimes; Economic Development Administration (EDA) promotes innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy; Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) promotes the growth of minority owned businesses through the mobilization and advancement of public and private sector programs, policy, and research; Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) is a federal statistical agency that promotes a better understanding of the U.S. economy by providing timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data in an objective and cost-effective manner; Census Bureau , a component of ESA, measures and disseminates information about the U.S. economy, society, and institutions, which fosters economic growth, advances scientific understanding, and facilitates informed decisions; National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) advises the President on communications and information policy; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) fosters innovation, competitiveness and economic growth, domestically and abroad, by providing high quality and timely examination of patent and trademark applications, guiding domestic and international intellectual property (IP) policy, and delivering IP information and education worldwide; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology enhancing economic security; and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration, and the supporting of marine commerce.

Department of Justice

DOJ's mission is to "enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans." DOJ also provides legal advice and opinions, upon request, to the President and executive branch department heads.

The major functions of DOJ offices and agencies are described below

Office of the United States Attorneys prosecutes violations of federal criminal laws, represents the federal government in civil actions, and initiates proceedings for the collection of fines, penalties, and forfeitures owed to the United States; United States Marshals Service (USMS) provides security for the federal judiciary, protects witnesses, executes warrants and court orders, manages seized assets, detains and transports offenders who have not been sentenced, and apprehends fugitives; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigates violations of federal criminal law; helps protect the United States against terrorism and hostile intelligence efforts; provides assistance to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; and shares jurisdiction with the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation of federal drug violations; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigates federal drug law violations; coordinates its efforts with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; develops and maintains drug intelligence systems; regulates the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of legitimate controlled substances; and conducts joint intelligence-gathering activities with foreign governments; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms , and Explosives (ATF) enforces federal law related to the manufacture, importation, and distribution of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives; Federal Prison System ( Bureau of Prisons; BOP ) houses offenders sentenced to a term of incarceration for a federal crime and provides for the operation and maintenance of the federal prison system; Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; Office of Justice Programs (OJP) manages and coordinates the activities of the Bureau of Justice Assistance; Bureau of Justice Statistics; National Institute of Justice; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking; and Office of Victims of Crime; and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) advances the practice of community policing by the nation's state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources.

Science Offices and Agencies

The science offices and agencies support research and development and related activities across a wide variety of federal missions, including national competitiveness, space exploration, and fundamental discovery.

Office of Science and Technology Policy

The primary function of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is to provide the President and others within the Executive Office of the President with advice on the scientific, engineering, and technological aspects of issues that require the attention of the federal government. The OSTP director also manages the National Science and Technology Council, which coordinates science and technology policy across the executive branch of the federal government, and cochairs the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a council of external advisors that provides advice to the President on matters related to science and technology policy.

The National Space Council

The National Space Council, in the Executive Office of the President, is a coordinating body for U.S. space policy. Chaired by the Vice President, it consists of the Secretaries of State, Defense, Commerce, Transportation, and Homeland Security, the Administrator of NASA, and other senior officials. The council previously existed from 1988 to 1993 and was reestablished by the Trump Administration in June 2017.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created to conduct civilian space and aeronautics activities. It has four mission directorates. The Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate is responsible for human spaceflight activities, including the International Space Station and development efforts for future crewed spacecraft. The Science Mission Directorate manages robotic science missions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Mars rover Curiosity, and satellites for Earth science research. The Space Technology Mission Directorate develops new technologies for use in future space missions, such as advanced propulsion and laser communications. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate conducts research and development on aircraft and aviation systems. In addition, NASA's Office of Education manages education programs for schoolchildren, college and university students, and the general public.

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research and education in the nonmedical sciences and engineering. Congress established the foundation as an independent federal agency "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." The NSF is a primary source of federal support for U.S. university research. It is also responsible for significant shares of the federal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education program portfolio and federal STEM student aid and support.

Related Agencies

The annual CJS appropriations act includes funding for several related agencies

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights informs the development of national civil rights policy and enhances enforcement of federal civil rights laws; The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information; The International Trade Commission investigates the effects of dumped and subsidized imports on domestic industries and conducts global safeguard investigations, adjudicates cases involving imports that allegedly infringe intellectual property rights, and serves as a resource for trade data and other trade policy-related information; The Legal Services Corporation is a federally funded nonprofit corporation that provides financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans; The Mari ne Mammal Commission works for the conservation of marine mammals by providing science-based oversight of domestic and international policies and actions of federal agencies with a mandate to address human effects on marine mammals and their ecosystems; The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and overseeing negotiations with other countries; and The State Justice Institute is a federally funded nonprofit corporation that awards grants to improve the quality of justice in state courts and foster innovative, efficient solutions to common issues faced by all courts.

FY2017 Enacted Appropriations

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 ( P.L. 115-31 ) provided a total of $66.360 billion for CJS. The total appropriation included $9.237 billion for the Department of Commerce, $28.962 billion for DOJ, $27.240 billion for the science agencies, and $921 million for the related agencies. The act also included $109 million in emergency-designated funding provided under the NASA Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration account for repairs at NASA-owned facilities that were damaged during recent natural disasters.

The Administration's FY2018 Budget Request

The Trump Administration requested a total of $62.331 billion for CJS for FY2018, a $4.029 billion (6.1%) reduction compared to the FY2017 enacted appropriation. The request included $7.817 billion for the Department of Commerce, $28.205 billion for the DOJ, $25.751 billion for the science agencies, and $559 million for the related agencies. The Administration's budget would have reduced FY2018 funding for the Department of Commerce by $1.420 billion (-15.4%) and DOJ by $757 million (-2.6%), the science agencies by $1.489 billion (-5.5%), and the related agencies by $362 million (-39.3%).

The Administration's budget included funding reductions for many CJS agencies and bureaus. Within the Department of Commerce, the Administration proposed budget cuts for the International Trade Administration (-$41 million, -8.4%), NIST (-$227 million, -23.8%), and NOAA (-$902 million, -15.9%). The Administration's request also included a $232 million (-2.6%) reduction for the FBI, which was largely a result of a proposed $187 million (-78.3%) reduction for the Construction account, but also included a $44 million (-0.5%) reduction for the Salaries and Expenses account. NASA's budget would have decreased by $670 million (-3.4%), which included account-specific reductions of $53 million (-0.9%) for Science, $36 million (-5.5%) for Aeronautics, $8 million (-1.2%) for Space Technology, $390 million (-9.0%) for Exploration, $210 million (-4.2%) for Space Operations, and $63 million (-62.7%) for Education. NSF's budget would have decreased by $819 million (-11.0%), including a $642 million (-11.1%) reduction in the Research and Related Activities account, a $26 million (-12.5%) reduction in the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account, and a $119 million (-13.6%) reduction in the Education and Human Resources account.

In addition to proposed decreases for many CJS accounts, the Administration also proposed shuttering several CJS agencies and programs

EDA, MDBA, NIST's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, NOAA's Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, NASA's Office of Science Education, and Legal Services Corporation.

In all instances except the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, the Administration requested some funding to assist with the closure of these agencies or programs.

Even though nearly all CJS accounts would have faced a reduction under the Administration's budget, there were some proposed increases, most of which were in DOJ

Office of the United States Attorneys (+$22 million, 1.1%), USMS's Federal Prisoner Detention account (+$82 million, 5.6%), National Security Division (+$5 million, 5.2%), Interagency Law Enforcement (+$9 million, 1.7%), BOP's Salaries and Expenses account (+$76 million, 1.1%), DEA (+$61 million, 2.9%), ATF (+$15 million, 1.2%), Census Bureau's Periodic Censuses and Programs account (+$51 million, 4.3%), NTIA (+$4 million, 12.5%), and NASA's Safety, Security, and Mission Services (+$62 million, 2.2%) and Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration (+$26 million, 5.6%) accounts.

Finally, the Administration also proposed transferring $610 million from the Crime Victims Fund to three DOJ grant accounts ($445 million to the Office on Violence Against Women, $73 million to State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance, and $92 million to Juvenile Justice Programs) to supplement appropriations from the General Fund of the Treasury.

The House-Passed Bill (H.R. 3354)

On July 17, 2017, the House Committee on Appropriations reported its version of the FY2018 CJS appropriations bill ( H.R. 3267 ). Subsequently, the text of the committee-reported FY2018 CJS appropriations bill was included as Division C of an omnibus appropriations bill ( H.R. 3354 ) that was passed by the House on September 14, 2017.

The House-passed bill would have provided $65.719 billion for CJS, which was 5.2% more than the Administration's request, but 1.0% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation. The bill included

$8.350 billion for the Department of Commerce (6.9% more than the Administration's request, but 9.6% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation), $29.310 billion for DOJ (3.5% more than the Administration's request and 1.2% more than the FY2017 enacted appropriation), $27.217 billion for the science agencies (5.7% more than the Administration's request, but 0.1% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation), and $842 million for the related agencies (50.7% more than the Administration's request, but 8.5% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation).

The House declined to shutter the agencies and programs identified by the Administration. However, while the House-passed bill included funding for these agencies and programs, funding levels were below the FY2017 enacted appropriation, except for the Minority Business Development Administration (+$33 million, +550.0%) and the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund (+$65 million, the Administration requested no funding for this program). Reductions included -$100 million (-36.2%) for EDA, -$25 million (-19.2%) for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, -$10 million (-10.0%) for NASA's Office of Science Education, and -$85 million (-22.1%) for the Legal Services Corporation.

The House-passed bill would have funded Department of Commerce accounts at an amount above the Administration's request. However, the House would have funded agencies such as ITA (-$16 million, -3.3%), ESA (-$11 million, -10.5%), NIST (-$82 million, -8.6%), and NOAA (-$702 million, -12.4%) at levels below the FY2017 enacted appropriation. The total funding for the Census Bureau would have received an increase under the House-passed bill relative to the FY2017 levels (+$37 million, +2.5%), which was due to an increase in the Periodic Censuses and Programs account but partially offset by a decrease in the Current Surveys and Programs account.

Within DOJ, the House would have increased funding for many federal law enforcement agencies compared to the FY2017 enacted appropriation. The House-passed bill included an $88 million (+3.2%) increase for the USMS, a $54 million (+2.6%) increase for the DEA, and a $36 million (+2.8%) increase for the ATF. There were also increases for the Office of the U.S. Attorneys (+$22 million, +1.1%) and BOP (+$26 million, +0.4%). The House-passed bill reduced funding for the FBI by $140 million (-1.6%), but this was due to a $187 million (-78.3%) reduction in the FBI's Construction account.

The House bill did not include the Administration's proposal to supplement direct appropriations for the Office on Violence Against Women, State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance, and Juvenile Justice Programs accounts with transfers from the Crime Victims Fund.

The House-passed bill would have increased funding for NASA by $110 million, or 0.6% relative to FY2017 levels, for FY2018. The bill funded four of NASA's accounts at levels below the Administration's request: Space Operations (-$64 million, -1.4%); Safety, Security, and Mission Services (-$4 million, -0.1%); Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration (-$10 million, -2.0%); and the Office of the Inspector General (-$1 million, -3.6%). However, only the funding for the Space Operations account was less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation.

The House-passed bill included a $133 million (-1.8%) decrease for NSF, which was largely the result of a $131 million reduction (-62.8%) for the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account. The House declined to adopt the Administration's proposal to reduce funding for the Research and Related Activities and Education and Human Resources accounts.

The House would have funded the Commission on Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the State Justice Institute at the Administration's requested level. The House would have funded the U.S. Trade Representative at a level below that requested by the Administration (-$5 million, -8.0%) the one requested by the Administration. However, the House included $15 million from the Trade Enforcement Trust Fund to support the trade enforcement activities of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The Senate Committee-Reported Bill (S. 1662)

On July 27, 2017, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported its FY2018 CJS appropriations bill ( S. 1662 ). The bill would have provided $65.991 billion for CJS. This amount was 5.7% more than the Administration's request, but 0.6% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation. The Senate committee-reported bill included

$9.161 billion for the Department of Commerce (17.2% more than the Administration's request, but 0.8% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation), $29.068 billion for DOJ (2.6% more than the Administration's request and 0.4% more than the FY2017 enacted appropriation), $26.846 billion for the science agencies (4.3% more than the Administration's request, but 1.4% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation), and $916 million for the related agencies (64.0% more than the Administration's request, but 0.5% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation).

The Senate Committee on Appropriations also declined to follow the Administration's request to eliminate several CJS agencies and programs. In most instances, the committee recommended funding for these agencies and programs at the FY2017 enacted level. However, the committee-reported bill included a $22 million (-8.0%) reduction for the EDA.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations recommended cuts relative to FY2017 levels for many Department of Commerce Bureaus and Offices, including ITA (-$1 million, -0.2%), ESA (-$8 million, -7.7%), NIST (-$8 million, -0.8%), and NOAA (-$85 million, -1.5%). However, in general, the committee declined to reduce funding to the levels proposed by the Trump Administration. The only agencies funded at a level below the Administration's request were BIS (-$1 million, -0.9%) and NTIA (-$4 million, -11.1%). S. 1662 included a $51 million (3.5%) increase for the Census Bureau, all of which would have been dedicated to the Periodic Censuses and Programs account.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations would have funded most DOJ accounts at or above the FY2017 enacted level. The committee-reported bill included a $108 million (4.0%) increase for the USMS, a $13 million (0.6%) increase for the DEA, a $15 million (1.2%) increase for the ATF, and a $22 million (1.1%) increase for the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys relative to the FY2017 level. A few notable reductions relative to the FY2017 level were to the FBI's Construction account (-$84 million, -35.2%), and the State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance account (-$109 million, -8.6%).

The Senate Committee on Appropriations largely declined to adopt the Administration's proposal to supplement funding for several grant accounts with transfers from the Crime Victims Fund. However, the committee-reported bill included a transfer of $379 million from the Crime Victims Fund to the Office on Violence Against Women.

The amount the Senate Committee on Appropriations would have provided for NASA was $233 million (-1.2%) less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, but $437 million (2.3%) more than the Administration's request. The committee-reported bill included reductions relative to the 2017 level for the Science (-$193 million, -3.3%), Aeronautics (-$10 million, -1.5%), and Space Operations (-$199 million, -4.0%) accounts. The committee recommended reductions for the Science (-$140 million, -2.5%); Safety, Security, and Mission Services (-$3 million, 0.1%); and the Office of the Inspector General (-$1 million, -3.3%) relative to the Administration's request.

The committee-reported bill included a $161 million (-2.2%) reduction for NSF relative to the FY2017 level. Specifically, it recommended reductions for four NSF accounts: Research and Related Activities (-$116 million, -1.9%), Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (-$26 million, -12.5%), Education and Human Resources (-$18 million, -2.0%), and Agency Operations and Award Management (-$1 million, -0.5%). NSF's other two accounts, the National Science Board and the Office of the Inspector General, would have been funded at the FY2017 enacted level. However, the recommended funding for NSF was 9.9% greater than the Administration's request.

The amount the Senate Committee on Appropriations recommended for the related agencies was 0.5% less than the FY2017 appropriation, and the reduction was the result of a $4 million (-7.1%) cut for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative—all other agencies would have been funded at the FY2017 enacted level. The committee-reported amount for all related agencies, other than the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, was greater than the Administration's request.

FY2018 Enacted Appropriations

For FY2018, Congress and the President appropriated a total of $72.119 billion for CJS. This includes $70.921 billion in regular appropriations provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 ( P.L. 115-141 ) and $1.198 billion in emergency-designated funding provided in the Further Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2018 ( P.L. 115-123 ). The total, without emergency-designated funding, is 6.9% greater than the FY2017 enacted appropriation and 13.6% greater than the Administration's request. Including emergency-designated funding, the total is 8.7% greater than the FY2017 appropriation and 15.5% greater than the Administration's request.

The FY2018 enacted appropriation for the Department of Commerce is $12.137 billion ($11.137 billion without emergency-designated funding), for the Department of Justice it is $30.384 billion ($30.299 billion without emergency-designated funding), for the science agencies it is $28.609 billion ($28.511 billion without emergency-designated funding), and for the related agencies it is $989 million ($974 million without emergency-designated funding).

Total FY2018 funding for the Department of Commerce is 31.4% greater than the FY2017 appropriation (20.6% greater without emergency-designated funding) and 55.3% greater than the Administration's request (42.5% greater without emergency-designated funding). Total FY2018 funding for the Department of Justice is 4.9% greater than the FY2017 appropriation (4.6% greater without emergency-designated funding) and 7.3% greater than the Administration's request (7.0% greater without emergency-designated funding). Total FY2018 funding for the science agencies is 5.0% greater than the FY2017 appropriation (4.7% greater without emergency-designated funding) and 11.1% greater than the Administration's request (10.8% greater without emergency-designated funding). Total FY2018 funding for the related agencies is 7.4% greater than the FY2017 appropriation (5.8% greater without emergency-designated funding) and 77.0% greater than the Administration's request (74.3% greater without emergency-designated funding).

The final funding agreement did not include the Administration's proposal to shutter several CJS agencies and programs. In fact, these agencies and programs were funded at or above the FY2017 enacted level (even if emergency-designated funding is excluded). Congress and the President increased regular appropriations for the EDA by $26 million, the MBDA by $5 million, NIST's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership by $10 million, and the Legal Services Corporation by $25 million.

In general, nearly all CJS accounts received an increase over both the FY2017 enacted appropriation and the Administration's request, even if emergency-designated funding is excluded. Some of the exceptions were

the International Trade Administration (-$1 million, 0.2% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, but +$40 million, 8.9% more than the Administration's request), ESA (-$8 million, 7.7% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, but +$2 million, 2.1% more than the Administration's request), NIST's National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (-$10 million, 40.0% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, the same as the Administration's request), DOJ's General Legal Activities account (the same as the FY2017 enacted appropriation, -$2 million, 0.2% less than the Administration's request), DOJ's Research, Evaluation, and Statistics account (-$21 million, 18.9% less than the Administration's request), NASA's Space Operations account (-$199 million, 4.0% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, but +$12 million, 0.2% greater than the Administration's request), NASA's Safety, Security, and Mission Services account (+$58 million, 2.1% greater than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, -$3 million, 0.1% less than the Administration's request), and NSF's Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account (-$26 million, 12.5% less than the FY2017 enacted appropriation, the same as the Administration's request).

Congress and the President also provided $492 million for the Office on Violence Against Women, but the entire amount is derived through a transfer from the Crime Victims Fund.

Table 1 outlines the FY2017 enacted appropriations, the Administration's FY2018 request, the House-passed, the Senate committee-reported, and the FY2018 enacted amounts for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, the science agencies, and the related agencies. The FY2018 enacted amounts inc lude emergency-designated funding.

Historical Funding for CJS

Figure 1 shows the total appropriations, in both nominal and inflation-adjusted dollars, for CJS for FY2008-FY2017. (More detailed historical appropriations data can be found in Table 2 . ) The data show that nominal appropriations for CJS increased from FY2008 to FY2010. Appropriations for CJS peaked in FY2009 at $76.782 billion if emergency supplemental appropriations from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5 ) are included. (If ARRA funding is not considered, appropriations peaked in FY2010 at $69.146 billion.) ARRA provided a substantial increase in appropriations for FY2009. The $15.992 billion Congress and the President appropriated for CJS under ARRA added approximately 25% to the amount that was provided for CJS through the annual appropriations process that year.

Nominal appropriations for CJS decreased from FY2010 to FY2013, but they have increased in each subsequent fiscal year. If not for the effects of sequestration, which reduced FY2013 CJS appropriations by nearly $4 billion, funding levels for CJS would have held steady at approximately $61 billion between FY2011 and FY2015. CJS appropriations increased by approximately $4 billion in FY2016, largely made possible by the increase to the discretionary spending caps enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 ( P.L. 114-74 ). CJS appropriations increased marginally in FY2017 ($361 million, or 0.1%).

Figure 2 shows total CJS appropriations for FY2008-FY2017 by major component (i.e., the Departments of Commerce and Justice, NASA, and the NSF). Increases in CJS appropriations in FY2009 (not including ARRA funding) and FY2010 largely resulted from Congress and the President appropriating more funding for the Department of Commerce in support of the 2010 decennial census, though there were small increases during that same time in funding for DOJ, NASA, and NSF.

Although decreased appropriations for the Department of Commerce mostly explain the overall decrease in CJS appropriations from FY2010 to FY2013 (a 47.4% reduction), cuts in funding for DOJ (-8.7%) and NASA (-9.8%) also contributed. Appropriations for NSF held relatively steady from FY2010 to FY2013.