Legislative Activity

With a Passing Glance at the President’s Request, Congress Continues Work on FY 2018 Appropriations

President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request, which was released on May 23, was received in Congress with reservation by Democrats and Republicans alike. The $4.09 trillion federal budget request, entitled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” proposes cutting federal spending by $3.6 trillion over 10 years. In addition to the anticipated backlash from Congressional Democrats, Republican members seemed to somewhat disregard the President’s request: “The president’s budget, as we all know, is a recommendation,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) noted, “what I do like about it is it clearly focuses on increased defense spending, which is important given the threats that we face.”

Congress is continuing its work on FY 2018 appropriation bills, despite the fact that budget committees have yet to produce a budget resolution to provide topline spending levels for the upcoming fiscal year. Appropriators will likely begin construction of the FY 2018 appropriations legislation using the discretionary spending cap of $1.065 trillion mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA/P.L. 112-25), commonly referred to as sequestration-level funding.

The House and Senate budget committee chairmen are pledging to move forward with FY 2018 budget resolutions that will achieve a balanced budget within 10 years. However, as the reconciliation instructions included in the FY 2017 budget resolution are being utilized to address healthcare reform, the FY 2018 budget resolution cannot be put up for a final vote until the House and Senate finalize a healthcare package (passage of a new budget resolution would invalidate the previous budget resolution).

Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, along with fellow House Republicans, are exploring the possibility of combining all 12 appropriations bills for FY 2018 into a single omnibus in order to ensure funding legislation is passed and sent to the Senate before the August recess. This would be a challenging task, as the House only has 31 days in session before the August recess and has yet to release any draft bills or schedule any markups. The lower chamber’s rush to pass legislation for FY 2018 appropriations before the end of the current fiscal year will only be further complicated by the absence of a FY 2018 budget resolution and the need for bipartisanship in order to win over several Democrats once it is passed over to the Senate.

This Week’s Hearings:

House Appropriations Committee

• On Wednesday, June 7, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has scheduled a budget hearing for the Department of Labor. The witness will be:

  • The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta, Secretary, Department of Labor

• On Wednesday, June 7, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “National Science Foundation Budget Hearing.” The witness will be:

  • Dr. France Cordova, Director, National Science Foundation

• On Thursday, June 8, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies has scheduled a budget hearing. The witness will be:

  • The Honorable Ryan Zinke, Secretary, Department of the Interior

• On Thursday, June 8, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies has scheduled a Department of Housing and Urban Development budget hearing. The witness will be:

  • The Honorable Ben Carson, Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development

• On Thursday, June 8, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Commodity Futures Trading Commission – Budget Hearing.” The witness will be:

  • J. Christopher Giancarlo, Acting Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission

• On Thursday, June 8, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Budget Hearing.” The witness will be:

  • Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr., Acting Administrator, NASA

• On Friday, June 9, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing titled “Immigration and Customs Enforcement &Customs and Border Protection FY18 Budget Request.” The witnesses will be:

  • Thomas D. Homan, Acting Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement

  • Todd C. Owen, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection

  • Carla L. Provost, Acting Chief, United States Border Patrol

House Budget Committee

• On Wednesday, June 7, the House Budget Committee has scheduled a hearing titled “The Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Pro-Growth Policies.” The witnesses will be:

  • Douglas J. Holtz-Eakin, Ph.D., President, American Action Forum

  • John W. Diamond, Ph.D., Edward A. and Hermena Hancock Kelly Fellow in Public Finance, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy

  • Jason Furman, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics

Senate Appropriations Committee

• On Tuesday, June 6, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Education.” The witness will be:

  • The Honorable Betsy DeVos, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

• On Tuesday, June 6, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for Military Construction & Family Housing.” The witnesses will be:

  • Mr. Peter J. Potochney, Acting Assistant Secretary Of Defense For Energy, Installations And Environment

  • Lieutenant General Gwendolyn Bingham, U.S. Army, Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management

  • Vice Admiral Dixon R. Smith, U.S. Navy, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics

  • Major General John J. Broadmeadow, U.S. Marine Corps, Commander, Marine Corps Installations Command, Assistant Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics (Facilities)

  • Major General Timothy S. Green, U.S. Air Force, Director of Civil Engineers, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection

• On Wednesday, June 7, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service.” The witnesses will be:

  • Mr. Tom Tidwell, Chief, U.S. Forest Service

  • Ms. Sheri Elliot, Acting Director, Office of Strategic Planning, Budget and Accountability, U.S. Forest Service

• On Wednesday, June 7, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense has scheduled a hearing titled, “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the U.S. Army.” The witnesses will be:

  • The Honorable Robert M. Speer, Acting Secretary Of The Army

  • General Mark A. Milley, Chief Of Staff, U.S. Army

• On Wednesday, June 7, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.” The witnesses will be:

  • The Honorable Kristine Svinicki, Commissioner, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

  • The Honorable Jeff Baran, Commissioner, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

  • The Honorable Stephen G. Burns, Commissioner, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• On Wednesday, June 7, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled, “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.” The witness will be:

  • The Honorable Ben Carson, Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

• On Wednesday, June 7, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Requests for the Library of Congress, Architect of the Capitol.” The witnesses will be:

  • The Honorable Carla D. Hayden, Librarian Of Congress, The Library of Congress

  • The Honorable Stephen T. Ayers, Architect Of The Capitol

• On Thursday, June 8, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Commerce.” The witness will be:

  • The Honorable Wilbur Ross, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce

• On Thursday, June 8, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Review of the FY2018 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Labor.” The witness will be:

  • The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor

Senate Budget Committee

• On Wednesday, June 7, the Senate Budget Committee has scheduled a hearing titled “Nomination Hearing for Deputy Director of White House Budget Office.” The witness will be:

  • Russell Vought to be Deputy Director, White House Office of Management and Budget