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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

March 16May 18, 2017 (R43419)

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.

No bills have yet been introduced proposing future-year authorizations of NASA appropriations.

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.

The table data for FY2017 are as enacted by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31). For amounts not specified in that act, see pp. H3374-H3375 of the explanatory statement, published in the Congressional Record on May 3, 2017.

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.

Table 1. NASA Appropriations, FY2011-FY2016

FY2012-FY2017

(budget authority in $ millions)

361f 19,653f
 

FY2011

FY2012

FY2012

FY2013

FY2013

FY2014

FY2014

FY2015

FY2015

FY2016

FY2016

FY2017

Science

$4,920

$5,074

$4,782

$5,148

$5,243

$5,589

$5,765

Earth Science

1,722

761

1,761

659

1,659

825

1,825

784

1,784

921

1,921

Planetary Science

1,451

501

1,501

275

1,275

346

1,346

447

1,447

631

1,631

846

Astrophysics

631

648

648

617

617

678

678

731

731

731

750

James Webb Space Telescope

477

519

519

628

628

658

658

645

645

620

620

569

Heliophysics

639

645

645

603

603

641

641

636

636

650

650

679

Education

a

a

a

a

a

37

37

a

Aeronautics

534

569

569

530

530

566

566

642

642

640

640

660

Space Technology

456

574

574

615

615

576

576

600

600

687

687

Exploration

3,821

707

3,707

706

3,706

4,113

4,113

3,543

3,543

4,030

4,030

324

Exploration Systems Development

2,982

3,002

3,002

2,884

2,884

3,115

3,115

212

3,212

680

3,680

929

- Orion MPCV

1,196

200

1,200

114

1,114

197

1,197

190

1,190

270

1,270

350

- Space Launch System

1,536

497

1,497

415

1,415

600

1,600

679

1,679

2,000

2,000

150

- Exploration Ground Systems

250

305

305

355

355

318

318

343

343

410

410

429

Commercial Spaceflight

607

406

406

525

525

696

696

b

b

b

Exploration R&D

232

300

300

297

297

302

302

331

331

350

350

395

Space Operations

5,146

4,184

3,725

3,774

4,626

5,029

029

4,951

Space Shuttle

1,593

596

39

0

8

c

0

International Space Station

2,714

790

2,790

776

2,776

964

2,964

1,525

1,525

c

c

Space Transportation

d

d

d

d

2,254

2,254

c

c

Space and Flight Support

840

798

798

910

910

810

810

839

839

c

c

Education

145

136

136

116

116

117

117

119

119

115

115

100

Space Grant

46

39

39

37

37

40

40

40

40

EPSCoR

25

17

17

17

18

18

18

18

MUREP

29

30

30

28

28

30

30

32

32

32

Other

47

50

50

34

34

29

29

29

25

25

10

Safety, Security, and Mission Servicese

Services

2,956

994

2,994

711

2,711

793

2,793

755

2,755

769

2,769

Construction and EC&R

433

495

661f

e

522

446

389

Inspector General

36

38

38

35

35

38

38

37

37

37

38

Total

18,448

17,770g

16,879f

e

17,647

18,010

19,285

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)

  a a
 

Appropriations

Authorizations

Authorization
 

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2017

 

 

Request

 

 

 

 

 

Enacted

Total

Mand.

Discr.

H. Cte.

S. Cte.

Request

Enacted

S. 442

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

a

Heliophysics

650

699

25

674

699

679

679

a

a

Education

37

b

b

b

b

ba

a

Aeronautics

640

790

156

635

712

601

660

624

640

Space Technology

687

827

136

691

739

687

687

a

686

Exploration

4,030

3,337

173

3,164

4,183

4,330

4,324

a

4,330

Exploration Systems Development

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

a

- Space Launch System

2,000

1,310

80

1,230

2,000

2,150

2,150

a

a

- Exploration Ground Systems

410

429

26

403

429

484

429

a

a

Commercial Spaceflight

c

c

c

c

c

ca

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

a

International Space Station

a

1,431

1,431

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

Education

115

100

100

115

108

100

0

115

Space Grant

40

24

24

40

40

40

0

a

EPSCoR

18

9

9

18

18

18

0

a

MUREP

32

30

30

32

32

32

0

a

Other

25

37

37

25

18

10

0

a

Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.

and Mission Services

2,769

2,837

2,837

2,835

2,797

2,769

a

2,789

Construction &and EC&R

389

420

420

398

400

361d a

388

Inspector General

37

38

38

38

38

38

a

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.

Figure 1. NASA Funding, FY1958-FY2016

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 FY2016FY2017 dollars using GDP (chained) price index from President's budget for FY2017, Historical Table 10.1, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicalshttps://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2017-TAB/xls/BUDGET-2017-TAB-11-1.xls.

Note: Transition quarter between FY1976 and FY1977 not shown.

Author Contact Information

[author name scrubbed], Specialist in Science and Technology Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])