The House of Representatives may take up an omnibus fiscal year 2009 appropriations bill this week, which would fund many federal agencies through September 30th of this year. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated, last week that he would seek to advance the legislation in the next few days, even though work on the higher priority economic recovery package has not been finalized with the Senate.
Last fall, Congress and the Bush Administration were unable to complete work on nine out of the 12 FY09 appropriations bills; only Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs were approved and signed into law. Funding for programs covered under the other nine bills was frozen at their FY08 base levels in a continuing resolution that expires on March 6, 2009. Shortly after Congress passes an economic recovery package and an omnibus FY09 Appropriations bill, work will begin on the FY10 appropriations process. The Obama Administration will release a FY10 budget blueprint shortly, and a full budget request will likely emerge from the Obama Administration in April.
Recap of FY09 Funding for Key Agencies/Accounts
In Millions of Dollars
Agency/Program | FY08 Final | FY09 House | % Change | FY09 Senate | % Change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NIH | 29.165 | 30.400 | 4.2 | 30.255 | 3.7 |
Pell Grants | 14.215 | 17.335 | 21.9 | 16.890 | 18.8 |
NASA SAE* | 10.568 | 8.538 | -19.2 | 8.362 | -20.9 |
NSF | 6.065 | 6.854 | 13 | 6.854 | 13 |
DoE/Science | 3.973 | 4.86 | 22.3 | 4.64 | 16.8 |
NEH | 145 | 160 | 10.6 | TBD | TBD |
International Ed. | 109 | 119 | 9.1 | 109 | Level Funded |
*Science, Aeronautics, and Exploration