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In the current fiscal environment, congressional deliberations about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) often focus on the availability of funding. This fact sheet provides data on past, current, and proposed FY2017 and FY2018 NASA appropriations, as well as authorizationsthe enacted authorization of NASA appropriations for FY2017.
For more information on the FY2017 budget requestFY2017 funding for NASA, see CRS Report R44397, NASA: FY2017 Budget and Appropriations. NASA issues of congressional interest are discussed further in CRS Report R43144, NASA: Issues for Authorization, Appropriations, and Oversight in the 114th Congress. Additional information on appropriations legislation affecting NASA is provided in CRS Report R44409, Overview of FY2017 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), and similar reports for other years.1
Table 1 shows appropriations for NASA from FY2011FY2012 through FY2016FY2017. The data for FY2011FY2012 through FY2015 include supplemental appropriations, rescissions, transfers, reprogramming, and, in the case of FY2013, sequestration. They are taken from NASA's congressional budget justifications for FY2013FY2014 through FY2017. Congressional budget justifications are available on the NASA budget website (http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/) for the current year and for past years back to FY2002. The table data for FY2016 are as enacted by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113). For amounts not specified in that act, see pp. H9741-H9743 of the explanatory statement, published in the Congressional Record on December 17, 2015.
Table 2 shows enacted appropriations for FY2016 (as above); the Obama Administration's request for FY2017 (including requested one-time mandatory funding); the House Committee on Appropriations recommendations for FY2017, as contained in H.R. 5393 (114th Congress) and its accompanying report H.Rept. 114-605; the Senate Committee on Appropriations recommendations for FY2017, as contained in S. 2837 (114th Congress) and its accompanying report S.Rept. 114-239; enacted appropriations for FY2017 (as above); the Trump Administration's requestbudget blueprint for FY2018 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf); and enacted for FY2018; and authorizations of appropriations for FY2017 in the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (S. 442P.L. 115-10).
Figure 1 shows NASA's total annual budget authority from the agency's establishment in FY1958 to FY2016FY2017, in both current dollars and inflation-adjusted FY2016FY2017 dollars.
FY2011 |
FY2012 |
FY2013 |
FY2014 |
FY2015 |
FY2016 |
||
Science |
$ |
|
$4,782 |
$5,148 |
$5,243 |
$5,589 $5,765 |
|
Earth Science |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1,921 |
|
Planetary Science |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
|
Astrophysics |
631 |
648 |
617 |
678 |
731 |
731 |
|
James Webb Space Telescope |
477 |
519 |
628 |
658 |
645 |
620 |
|
Heliophysics |
639 |
645 |
603 |
641 |
636 |
650 |
|
Education |
—a |
—a |
—a |
—a |
|
37 |
|
Aeronautics |
534 |
569 |
530 |
566 |
642 |
640 |
|
Space Technology |
456 |
574 |
615 |
576 |
600 |
687 |
|
Exploration |
3, |
3, |
3,706 |
4,113 |
3,543 |
4, |
|
Exploration Systems Development |
2,982 |
3,002 |
2,884 |
3, |
3, |
3, |
|
- Orion MPCV |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
|
- Space Launch System |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1, |
1,679 |
2, |
|
- Exploration Ground Systems |
250 |
305 |
355 |
318 |
343 |
410 |
|
Commercial Spaceflight |
607 |
406 |
525 |
696 |
—b |
—b |
|
Exploration R&D |
232 |
300 |
297 |
302 |
331 |
350 |
|
Space Operations |
5,146 | 4,184 |
3,725 |
3,774 |
4,626 |
5, 4,951 |
|
Space Shuttle |
1,593 | 596 |
39 |
0 |
8 |
—c |
0 |
International Space Station |
2, |
2, |
2, |
2,964 |
1,525 |
—c |
|
Space Transportation |
—d |
—d |
—d |
|
2,254 |
—c |
|
Space and Flight Support |
840 |
798 |
910 |
810 |
839 |
—c |
|
Education |
145 |
136 |
116 |
117 |
119 |
115 |
|
Space Grant |
46 |
39 |
37 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
|
EPSCoR |
25 |
17 |
17 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
|
MUREP |
29 |
30 |
28 |
30 |
32 |
32 |
|
Other |
47 |
50 |
34 |
29 |
29 |
25 |
|
Safety, Security, and Mission |
2, |
2, |
2, |
2, |
2, |
2,769 |
|
Construction and EC&R |
433 | 495 |
661 |
522 |
446 |
389 |
361f
|
Inspector General |
36 |
38 |
35 |
38 |
37 |
37 |
|
Total |
18,448 | 17,770g |
16,879 |
17,647 |
18,010 |
19,285 |
19,653f
Sources: FY2011FY2012-FY2015 from NASA FY2013FY2014-FY2017 congressional budget justifications. FY2016 from P.L. 114-113 and pp. H9741-H9743 of the explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 17, 2015its explanatory statement. FY2017 from P.L. 115-31 and its explanatory statement. See text for further details.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. MPCV = Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. R&D = Research and Development. EPSCoR = Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University Research Education Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation.
a. Included in Astrophysics and, in some years, Planetary Science.
b. Included in Space Transportation under Space Operations.
c.
Not specified. Amount for Space Transportation includes up to $1,244 million for Commercial Crew.
d.
Included(in FY2016) and up to $1,185 million (in FY2017) for Commercial Crew.
d.
Commercial Crew funded under Exploration. Remainder included in International Space Station.
e.
Formerly Cross-Agency Support.
f.
Includes $14 million (after sequestration) of supplemental funding from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2) that is not shown in the NASA FY2015 congressional budget justification.
f.
Excludes $109 million in emergency funding for repairs at NASA facilities damaged by natural disasters.
g. Includes rescission of $1 million from prior-year accounts not shown in the table.
Table 2. NASA Appropriations, FY2016-FY2018, and AuthorizationsAuthorization, FY2017
(budget authority in $ millions)
Appropriations |
Authorizations |
|||||||
FY2016 |
FY2017 |
FY2018 |
FY2017 |
|||||
Request |
||||||||
Enacted |
Total |
Mand. |
Discr. |
H. Cte. |
S. Cte. |
Request |
Request | |
Science |
$5,589 |
$5,601 |
$298 |
$5,303 |
$5,597 |
$5,395 $5,765 |
$—a |
$5,500 |
Earth Science |
1,921 |
2,032 |
60 |
1,972 |
1,690 |
1,984 |
1,921 1,800 |
—a |
Planetary Science |
1,631 |
1,519 |
128 |
1,391 |
1,846 |
1,356 |
1,846 1,900 |
—a |
Astrophysics |
731 |
782 |
85 |
697 |
793 |
807 750 |
—a |
—a |
James Webb Space Telescope |
620 |
569 |
— |
569 |
569 |
569 |
569 |
—a |
Heliophysics |
650 |
699 |
25 |
674 |
699 |
679 |
679 |
—a |
Education |
37 |
—b |
— |
—b |
—b |
—b |
—b —a |
—a |
Aeronautics |
640 |
790 |
156 |
635 |
712 |
601 |
660 |
640 |
Space Technology |
687 |
827 |
136 |
691 |
739 |
687 |
687 |
686 |
Exploration |
4,030 |
3,337 |
173 |
3,164 |
4,183 |
4,330 4,324 |
—a |
4,330 |
|
3,680 |
2,860 |
173 |
2,687 |
3,779 |
3,934 |
3,929 3,700 |
—a |
- Orion MPCV |
1,270 |
1,120 |
66 |
1,053 |
1,350 |
1,300 |
1,350 |
—a |
- Space Launch System |
2,000 |
1,310 |
80 |
1,230 |
2,000 |
2,150 |
2,150 |
—a |
- Exploration Ground Systems |
410 |
429 |
26 |
403 |
429 |
484 429 |
—a |
—a |
Commercial Spaceflight |
—c |
—c |
— |
—c |
—c |
—c |
—c —a |
—a |
Exploration R&D |
350 |
477 |
— |
477 |
404 |
396 395 |
—a |
—a |
Space Operations |
5,029 |
5,076 |
— |
5,076 |
4,890 |
4,951 4,951 |
—a |
5,023 |
Space Shuttle |
—a |
0 |
— |
0 |
—a |
8 |
0 |
—a |
International Space Station |
—a |
1,431 |
— |
1,431 |
—a |
—a |
—a |
—a |
—a
Space Transportation |
—a |
2,758 |
— |
2,758 —a |
—a |
—a |
—a |
—a |
Space and Flight Support |
—a |
887 |
— |
887 |
—a |
—a |
—a |
—a |
—a
Education |
115 |
100 |
— |
100 |
115 |
108 100 |
0 |
115 |
Space Grant |
40 |
24 |
— |
24 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
—a |
EPSCoR |
18 |
9 |
— |
9 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
—a |
MUREP |
32 |
30 |
— |
30 |
32 |
32 |
32 |
—a |
Other |
25 |
37 |
— |
37 |
25 |
18 |
10 |
—a |
Safety, Security, |
2,769 |
2,837 |
— |
2,837 |
2,835 |
2,797 2,769 |
—a |
2,789 |
Construction |
389 |
420 |
— |
420 |
398 |
400 |
361d —a |
388 |
Inspector General |
37 |
38 |
— |
38 |
38 |
38 |
38 |
37 |
Total |
19,285 |
19,025 |
763 |
18,262 |
19,508 |
19,306 |
19,653d 19,100 |
19,508 |
Sources: FY2016 enacted from P.L. 114-113 and pp. H9741-H9743 of the explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 17, 2015its explanatory statement. FY2017 request from NASA FY2017 congressional budget justification (discretionary calculated by CRS by subtracting mandatory from total). FY2017 House committee from H.R. 5393 (114th Congress) as reported in the House and H.Rept. 114-605. FY2017 Senate committee from S. 2837 (114th Congress) as reported in the Senate and S.Rept. 114-239. FY2018 request from budget blueprint released March 16, 2017 Authorizations from S. 442 as presented to the Presidentand S.Rept. 114-239. FY2017 enacted from P.L. 115-31 and its explanatory statement. FY2018 request from budget blueprint released March 16, 2017. FY2017 authorization from P.L. 115-10. See text for further details.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. MPCV = Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. R&D = Research and Development. EPSCoR = Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University Research Education Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation.
a.
Not specified. FY2016 enacted and, FY2017 Senate Appropriations Committeecommittee, and FY2017 enacted amounts for Space Transportation include up to $1,244 million, up to $1,185 million, and up to $1,185 million, respectively, for Commercial Crew.
b. Included in Astrophysics in request and Senate bill. House bill includes $37 million within Science total.
c.
Included in Space Transportation under Space Operations Enacted Science total includes $37 million equally divided between Astrophysics and Planetary Science.
c.
Included in Space Transportation under Space Operations.
d.
Excludes $109 million in emergency funding for repairs at NASA facilities damaged by natural disasters.
FY2017 |
Source: FY1958-FY2008 from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Aeronautics and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 2008 Activities, http://history.nasa.gov/presrep2008.pdf, Table D-1A. FY2009-FY2014 from NASA congressional budget justifications, FY2011-FY2016. FY2015 from P.L. 113-235. FY2016 from P.L. 114-113. FY2017 from P.L. 115-31. Current dollars deflated to Note: Transition quarter between FY1976 and FY1977 not shown. |
Author Contact Information
1. |
See, for example, CRS Report R43918, Overview of FY2016 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS); CRS Report R43509, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2015 Appropriations, CRS Report R43080, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2014 Appropriations; CRS Report R42440, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations; and CRS Report R41721, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2012 Appropriations |