Contents

• Introduction
• The President's FY2020 Budget Request
• Federal R&D Funding Perspectives
• Federal R&D by Agency
• Federal R&D by Character of Work, Facilities, and Equipment
• Federal Role in U.S. R&D by Character of Work
• Federal R&D by Agency and Character of Work Combined
• Multiagency R&D Initiatives
• Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (NITRD)
• U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
• National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)
• American Artificial Intelligence Initiative
• National Quantum Initiative
• Other Initiatives
• FY2020 Appropriations Status
• Department of Defense
• Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institutes of Health
• Department of Energy
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• National Science Foundation
• Department of Agriculture
• Agricultural Research Service
• National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• National Agricultural Statistics Service
• Economic Research Service
• Department of Commerce
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Department of the Interior
• U.S. Geological Survey
• Other DOI Components
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Department of Transportation
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Federal Highway Administration
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Other DOT Components
• Department of Homeland Security
• Environmental Protection Agency

Summary

President Trump's budget request for FY2020 includes approximately $134.1 billion for research and development (R&D). Several FY2019 appropriations bills had not been enacted at the time the President's FY2020 budget was prepared; therefore, the President's budget included the FY2018 actual funding levels, 2019 annualized continuing resolution (CR) levels, and the FY2020 request levels. On February 15, 2019, Congress enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6). This act included each of the remaining appropriations acts, completing the FY2019 appropriations process. The act also rendered the CR levels identified in the budget no longer relevant, though for some agencies the exact amount of R&D funding in the act remained uncertain. The analysis of government-wide R&D funding in this report compares the President's request for FY2020 to the FY2018 level. For agencies for which the FY2019 R&D funding levels are known, individual agency analyses in this report compare the FY2020 request to FY2019 enacted levels. For agencies for which the FY2019 R&D funding levels remain unknown, individual agency analyses in this report compare the FY2020 request to FY2018 actual levels; when the FY2019 levels become available, these sections will be updated to compare the FY2020 request to FY2019 enacted amounts. As of the date of this report, the House had not completed action on any of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2020; nor had the Senate.

In FY2018, OMB adopted a change to the definition of development, applying a more narrow treatment it describes as "experimental development." This change was intended to harmonize the reporting of U.S. R&D funding data with the approach used by other nations. The new definition is used in this report. Under the new definition of R&D (applied to both FY2018 and FY2020 figures), President Trump is requesting approximately $134.1 billion for R&D for FY2020, a decrease of $1.7 billion (1.2%) from the FY2018 level. Adjusted for inflation, the President's FY2020 R&D request represents a decrease of 5.1% below the FY2018 level.

Funding for R&D is concentrated in a few departments and agencies. In FY2018, eight federal agencies received 96.3% of total federal R&D funding, with the Department of Defense (DOD, 38.6%) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, 27.2%) combined accounting for nearly two-thirds of all federal R&D funding. The same eight agencies account for 97.2% of the FY2020 request, with DOD accounting for 44.3% and HHS for 25.1%

Under the President's FY2020 budget request, most federal agencies would see their R&D funding decline. The primary exception is the Department of Defense. DOD's requested R&D funding for FY2020 is $7.1 billion (13.5%) above the FY2018 level. The Departments of Transportation and Veterans Affairs would see small increases in R&D funding. Among the agencies with the largest proposed reductions in R&D funding in the FY2020 budget compared to the FY2018 actual levels are the Department of Energy ($2.8 billion, 15.8%), the National Science Foundation ($567 million, 9.0%), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($475 million, 4.0%).

The President's FY2020 budget request would reduce funding for basic research by $1.5 billion (4.0%), applied research by $4.3 billion (10.5%), and facilities and equipment by $0.5 billion (12.8%), while increasing funding for development by $4.5 billion (8.3%).

President Trump's FY2020 budget is largely silent on funding levels for multiagency R&D initiatives. However, some activities supporting these initiatives are discussed in agency budget justifications and are reported in the agency analyses in this report.

The request represents the President's R&D priorities. Congress may opt to agree with none, part, or all of the request, and it may express different priorities through the appropriations process. In recent years, Congress has completed the annual appropriations process after the start of the fiscal year. Completing the process after the start of the fiscal year and the accompanying use of continuing resolutions can affect agencies' execution of their R&D budgets, including the delay or cancellation of planned R&D activities and the acquisition of R&D-related equipment.

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Introduction

The 116^th Congress continues its interest in U.S. research and development (R&D) and in evaluating support for federal R&D activities. The federal government has played an important role in supporting R&D efforts that have led to scientific breakthroughs and new technologies, from jet aircraft and the internet to communications satellites, shale gas extraction, and defenses against disease. In recent years, widespread concerns about the federal debt, recent and projected federal budget deficits, and federal budget caps have driven difficult decisions about the prioritization of R&D, both in the context of the entire federal budget and among competing needs within the federal R&D portfolio. Increases in the budget caps for FY2018 and FY2019 reduced some of the pressure affecting these decisions, but the concerns remain and the caps for FY2020 have not been increased.

The U.S. government supports a broad range of scientific and engineering R&D. Its purposes include specific concerns such as addressing national defense, health, safety, the environment, and energy security; advancing knowledge generally; developing the scientific and engineering workforce; and strengthening U.S. innovation and competitiveness in the global economy. Most of the R&D funded by the federal government is performed in support of the unique missions of individual funding agencies.

The federal R&D budget is an aggregation of the R&D activities of these agencies. There is no single, centralized source of R&D funds. Agency R&D budgets are developed internally as part of each agency's overall budget development process. R&D funding may be included either in accounts that are entirely devoted to R&D or in accounts that include funding for non-R&D activities. Agency budgets are subjected to review, revision, and approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and become part of the President's annual budget submission to Congress. The federal R&D budget is then calculated by aggregating the R&D activities of each federal agency.

Congress plays a central role in defining the nation's R&D priorities as it makes decisions about the level and allocation of R&D funding—overall, within agencies, and for specific programs. In recent years, some Members of Congress have expressed concerns about the level of federal spending (for R&D and for other purposes) in light of the federal deficit and debt. Other Members of Congress have expressed support for increased federal spending for R&D as an investment in the nation's future competitiveness. As Congress acts to complete the FY2020 appropriations process, it faces two overarching issues: the amount of the federal budget to be spent on federal R&D and the prioritization and allocation of the available funding.

This report begins with a discussion of the overall level of R&D in President Trump's FY2020 budget request, followed by analyses of R&D funding in the request from a variety of perspectives and for selected multiagency R&D initiatives. The remainder of the report discusses and analyzes the R&D budget requests of selected federal departments and agencies that, collectively, account for approximately 99% of total federal R&D funding.

Selected terms associated with federal R&D funding are defined in the text box on the next page. Appendix A provides a list of acronyms and abbreviations.

The President's FY2020 Budget Request

On March 11, 2019, President Trump released his proposed FY2020 budget. He provided additional details the following week.

Completion of the FY2019 budget process on February 15, 2019, more than four months after the start of FY2019, as well as a government shutdown, led to both a delay in the scheduled release of the President's FY2020 budget request, and the use by the Office of Management and Budget of a mix of estimated continuing appropriations act FY2019 funding levels (generally, for agencies whose FY2019 appropriations were enacted after the start of FY2019)³ and enacted FY2019 funding levels (generally, for agencies whose appropriations were enacted prior to the start of FY2019).⁴ As a result, the aggregate (total) FY2019 R&D funding levels for all agencies in the Analytical Perspectives addendum to the President's FY2020 budget are estimated "using FY 2019 enacted appropriations where available and annualized Continuing Resolution [levels] for agencies without enacted appropriations prior to Feb. 15, 2019."⁵ With enactment of the remaining FY2019 appropriations acts in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6), the Administration's estimated aggregate R&D funding level no longer accurately reflects total enacted FY2019 R&D funding. OMB has not issued a document with comprehensive R&D figures for each agency or in aggregate.

Therefore, the analysis of government-wide R&D funding in this report, as well as of some of the individual agency analyses, compares the President's request for FY2020 to the FY2018 actual level. As information about the agencies' FY2019 R&D levels becomes available, the agency sections of this report will be updated to reflect that information and to make comparisons to the President's FY2020 request.

President Trump is proposing approximately $134.1 billion for R&D for FY2020, a decrease of $1.7 billion (1.2%) below the FY2018 level of $135.8 billion. Adjusted for inflation, the President's FY2020 R&D request represents a constant-dollar decrease of 5.2% from the FY2018 actual level.⁶

The President's request includes continued R&D funding for existing single-agency and multiagency programs and activities, as well as new initiatives. This report provides government-wide, multiagency, and individual agency analyses of the President's FY2020 request as it relates to R&D and related activities. Additional information and analysis will be included as the House and Senate act on the President's budget request through appropriations bills.

Federal R&D Funding Perspectives

Federal R&D funding can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives that provide different insights. The following sections examine the data by agency, by the character of the work supported, and by a combination of these two perspectives.

Federal R&D by Agency

Congress makes decisions about R&D funding through the authorization and appropriations processes primarily from the perspective of individual agencies and programs. Table 1 provides data on R&D funding by agency for FY2018 (actual), FY2019 (enacted, for selected agencies), and FY2020 (request).⁷ Enacted data for FY2019 is provided only for agencies whose FY2019 appropriations process was completed before the FY2020 budget request was finalized.

Under the request, eight federal agencies would receive more than 97% of total federal R&D funding in FY2020: the Department of Defense, 44.3%; Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), primarily the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 25.1%; Department of Energy (DOE), 11.0%; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 8.4%; National Science Foundation (NSF), 4.3%; Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1.8%; Department of Commerce (DOC), 1.3%; and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 1.0%. This report provides an analysis of the R&D budget requests for these agencies, as well as for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

All but three federal agencies would see their R&D funding decrease under the President's FY2020 request compared to FY2018. The only agencies with increased R&D funding in FY2020 relative to the FY2018 level would be DOD (up $7.077 billion, 13.5%), VA (up $39 million, 3.0%), and DOT (up $33 million, 3.2%). The agencies with largest R&D funding declines in the FY2020 request compared to FY2018 (as measured in dollars) would occur in the budgets of HHS (down $3.249 billion, 8.8%), DOE (down $2.764 billion, 15.8%), NSF (down $567 million, 29.7%), and NASA (down $475 million, 4.0%).

Among agencies for which FY2019 enacted funding is shown in the President's budget, FY2020 R&D funding would increase only for DOD (up $3.631 billion, 6.5%). HHS R&D funding would decline by $4.954 billion (12.8%). DOE R&D funding would decline by $3.075 billion (17.3%). VA R&D funding would decline by $17 million (1.3%). Department of Education R&D funding would decline by $34 million (13.2%). See Table 1.

Federal R&D by Character of Work, Facilities, and Equipment

Federal R&D funding can also be examined by the character of work it supports—basic research, applied research, or development—and by funding provided for construction of R&D facilities and acquisition of major R&D equipment. (See Table 2.) President Trump's FY2020 request includes $35.164 billion for basic research, down $1.452 billion (4.0%) from FY2018; $40.707 billion for applied research, down $4.264 billion (10.5%); $59.108 billion for development, up $4.543 billion (8.3%); and $3.382 billion for facilities and equipment, down $495 million (12.8%).

Federal Role in U.S. R&D by Character of Work

A primary policy justification for public investments in basic research and for incentives (e.g., tax credits) for the private sector to conduct research is the view, widely held by economists, that the private sector will, left on its own, underinvest in basic research from a societal perspective. The usual argument for this view is that the social returns (i.e., the benefits to society at large) exceed the private returns (i.e., the benefits accruing to the private investor, such as increased revenues or higher stock value). Other factors that may inhibit corporate investment in basic research include long time horizons for achieving commercial applications (diminishing the potential returns due to the time value of money), high levels of technical risk/uncertainty, shareholder demands for shorter-term returns, and asymmetric and imperfect information.

The federal government is the nation's largest supporter of basic research, funding 42% of U.S. basic research in 2017. Business funded 30% of U.S. basic research in 2017, with state governments, universities, and other nonprofit organizations funding the remaining 29%. For U.S. applied research, business is the primary funder, accounting for an estimated 55% in 2017, while the federal government accounted for an estimated 33%. State governments, universities, and other nonprofit organizations funded the remaining 12%. Business also provides the vast majority of U.S. funding for development. Business accounted for 85% of development funding in 2017, while the federal government provided 13%. State governments, universities, and other nonprofit organizations funded the remaining 2% (see Figure 1).⁸

Figure 1. Composition of U.S. Basic Research, Applied Research, and Development by Funding Sector, 2017

Source: CRS analysis of National Science Foundation, National Patterns of R&D Resources: 2016–17 Data Update, NSF 19-309, February 27, 2019, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf19309/. Notes: Components may not add to total due to rounding. Data for 2017 is estimated and subject to revision.

Federal R&D by Agency and Character of Work Combined

Federal R&D funding can also be viewed from the combined perspective of each agency's contribution to basic research, applied research, development, and facilities and equipment. Table 3 lists the three agencies with the most funding in each of these categories as proposed in the President's FY2020 budget. The overall federal R&D budget reflects a wide range of national priorities, including supporting advances in spaceflight, developing new and affordable sources of energy, and understanding and deterring terrorist groups. These priorities and the mission of each individual agency contribute to the composition of that agency's R&D spending (i.e., the allocation among basic research, applied research, development, and facilities and equipment). In the President's FY2020 budget request, the Department of Health and Human Services, primarily NIH, would account for nearly half (47.7%) of all federal funding for basic research. HHS would also be the largest federal funder of applied research, accounting for about 45.6% of all federally funded applied research in the President's FY2020 budget request. DOD would be the primary federal funder of development, accounting for 87.4% of total federal development funding in the President's FY2020 budget request. DOE would be the primary federal funder of facilities and equipment, accounting for 50.5% of total federal facilities and equipment funding in the President's FY2020 budget request.⁹

Multiagency R&D Initiatives

For many years, presidential budgets have reported on multiagency R&D initiatives. Often, they have also provided details of agency funding for these initiatives. Some of these efforts have a statutory basis—for example, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). These programs generally produce annual budget supplements identifying objectives, activities, funding levels, and other information, usually published shortly after the presidential budget release. Other multiagency R&D initiatives have operated at the discretion of the President without such a basis and may be eliminated at the discretion of the President. President Trump's FY2020 budget is largely silent on funding levels for these efforts and whether any or all of the nonstatutory initiatives will continue. Some activities related to these initiatives are discussed in agency budget justifications and may be addressed in the agency analyses later in this report. This section provides available multiagency information on these initiatives and will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (NITRD)

Established by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-194), the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program is the primary mechanism by which the federal government coordinates its unclassified networking and information technology R&D investments in areas such as supercomputing, high-speed networking, cybersecurity, software engineering, and information management. In FY2019, 21 agencies are NITRD members; nonmember agencies also participate in NITRD activities. NITRD efforts are coordinated by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Networking and Information Technology Research and Development.¹⁰

P.L. 102-194, as reauthorized by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2017 (P.L. 114-329), requires the director of NITRD to prepare an annual report to be delivered to Congress along with the President's budget request. This annual report is to include, among other things, detailed information on the program's budget for the current and previous fiscal years, and the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The latest annual report was published in August 2018 and related to the FY2019 budget request. President Trump requested $5,277.6 million for NITRD research in FY2019. In FY2017, NITRD funding was $5,126.4 million. The President's FY2020 budget does not identify aggregate funding levels for NITRD for FY2018 (actual), FY2019 (estimate), or FY2020 (request). The FY2020 NSF budget request includes $1.20 billion in NITRD funding for FY2020, a decrease of $98.2 million (7.6%) from FY2018 (actual).

For additional information on the NITRD program, see CRS Report RL33586, The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Background, Funding, and Activities, by Patricia Moloney Figliola. Additional NITRD information also can be obtained at https://www.nitrd.gov.

U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)

The U.S. Global Change Research Program coordinates and integrates federal research and applications to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change. The program seeks to advance global climate change science and to "build a knowledge base that informs human responses to climate and global change through coordinated and integrated Federal programs of research, education, communication, and decision support."¹¹ In FY2018, 13 departments and agencies participated in the USGCRP. USGCRP efforts are coordinated by the NSTC Subcommittee on Global Change Research. Each agency develops and carries out its activities as its contribution to the USGCRP, and funds are appropriated to each agency for those activities; those activities may or may not be identified as associated with the USGCRP in the President's annual budget proposal or each agency's budget justification to Congress.

The Global Change Research Act of 1990 (GCRA) (P.L. 101-606) requires each federal agency or department involved in global change research to report annually to Congress on each element of its proposed global change research activities, as well as the portion of its budget request allocated to each element of the program.¹² The President is also required to identify those activities and the annual global change research budget in the President's annual budget request to Congress. Some, but not all, participating agencies provide the required information in their budget justifications.

In addition, in almost each of the past 17 years, language in appropriations laws has required the President to submit a comprehensive report to the appropriations committees "describing in detail all Federal agency funding, domestic and international, for climate change programs, projects, and activities … including an accounting of funding by agency…."¹³ The President's most recent report was submitted in January 2017 for the FY2017 request. This section will be updated when the USGCRP updates its budget information.

The President's FY2020 budget does not identify aggregate funding levels for USGCRP for FY2018 (actual), FY2019 (estimate), or the FY2020 (request). Without budget reports pursuant to the GCRP Act or appropriations laws, the budget authority or expenditures publicly reported by agencies is generally insufficient to independently build a complete and consistent estimate of funding for the USGCRP. Below are results of CRS research for selected agencies, which incompletely represent federal funding in recent years thats support the USGCRP.

The President's FY2020 budget does not identify aggregate funding levels for USGCRP for FY2018 (actual), FY2019 (estimate), or the FY2020 (request). Without budget reports pursuant to the GCRP Act or appropriations laws, the budget authority or expenditures publicly reported by agencies is generally insufficient to independently build a complete and consistent estimate of funding for the USGCRP. Table 5 presents results of CRS research for selected agencies, which incompletely represent federal funding in recent years that supports the USGCRP.

For additional information on the USGCRP, see CRS Report R43227, Federal Climate Change Funding from FY2008 to FY2014, by Jane A. Leggett, Richard K. Lattanzio, and Emily Bruner. Additional USGCRP information also can be obtained at http://www.globalchange.gov.

National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)

Launched in FY2001, the National Nanotechnology Initiative is a multiagency R&D initiative to advance understanding and control of matter at the nanoscale, where the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and useful ways from the properties of individual atoms or bulk matter.¹⁴ In 2003, Congress enacted the 21^st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (P.L. 108-153), providing a legislative foundation for some of the activities of the NNI. NNI efforts are coordinated by the NSTC Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET). In FY2019, the President's request included NNI funding for 16 federal departments and independent agencies and commissions with budgets dedicated to nanotechnology R&D. The NSET includes other federal departments and independent agencies and commissions with responsibilities for health, safety, and environmental regulation; trade; education; intellectual property; international relations; and other areas that might affect or be affected by nanotechnology.

P.L. 108-153 requires the NSTC to prepare an annual report to be delivered to Congress at the time the President's budget request is sent to Congress. This annual report is to include detailed information on the program's budget for the current fiscal year and the program's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, as well as additional information and data related to the performance of the program. The latest annual report was published in August 2018. President Trump requested $1,395.6 million for NNI research in FY2019. In FY2017, NNI funding was $1,552.3 million.¹⁵ The President's FY2020 budget does not identify aggregate funding levels for NNI for FY2018 (actual), FY2019 (enacted), or FY2020 (request). The NSF budget request includes $389 million in NNI funding for FY2020, $179 million (31.4%) less than in FY2018.

For additional information on the NNI, see CRS Report RL34401, The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Overview, Reauthorization, and Appropriations Issues, by John F. Sargent Jr. Additional NNI information also can be obtained at http://www.nano.gov.

American Artificial Intelligence Initiative

In February 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13859 establishing an American Artificial Intelligence Initiative to accelerate national leadership in artificial intelligence (AI).¹⁶ Among other things, the EO directs the heads of implementing agencies that perform or fund R&D to consider AI as an agency R&D priority, in accordance with their missions and consistent with applicable law. In particular, the EO directs the Secretaries of Defense, Commerce, Health and Human Services, and Energy, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Director of the National Science Foundation to prioritize the allocation of high-performance computing resources for AI-related applications through increased assignment of discretionary funding and any other appropriate mechanisms. According to Analytical Perspectives, the President's FY2020 budget would provide approximately $850 million for this initiative to the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and National Science Foundation.¹⁷

National Quantum Initiative

In December 2018, President Trump signed the National Quantum Initiative Act (P.L. 115-368) establishing a National Quantum Initiative with the stated purpose of ensuring "the continued leadership of the United States in quantum information science [QIS] and its technology applications." The act requires the establishment of a 10-year plan to accelerate the development of QIS and technology applications. According to Analytical Perspectives, the President's FY2020 budget includes approximately $430 million for this initiative at DOD, DOE, NIST, and NSF.¹⁸

Other Initiatives

A number of presidential initiatives without statutory foundations were in operation at the end of the Obama Administration, but have not been addressed explicitly in President Trump's FY2018, FY2019, or FY2020 budgets. Two of these are part of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP): the National Robotics Initiative (NRI) and Manufacturing USA (formerly known as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation or NNMI).¹⁹

According to Analytical Perspectives, the President's FY2020 budget

prioritizes R&D aimed at advances in manufacturing and the integration of those advances into the domestic supply chain to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources of critical products. Budget priorities include intelligent manufacturing systems, materials and processing technologies, advances in semiconductor design and fabrication, and innovations in food and agricultural manufacturing.²⁰

Other initiatives include the Cancer Moonshot, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI), the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), and an effort to double federal funding for clean energy R&D. Some of the activities of these initiatives are discussed in agency budget justifications and the agency analyses later in this report.

FY2020 Appropriations Status

The remainder of this report provides a more in-depth analysis of R&D in 12 federal departments and agencies that, in aggregate, receive nearly 99% of total federal R&D funding. Agencies are presented in order of the size of their FY2020 R&D budget requests, with the largest presented first.

Annual appropriations for these agencies are provided through 9 of the 12 regular appropriations bills. For each agency covered in this report, Table 7 shows the corresponding regular appropriations bill that provides primary funding for the agency, including its R&D activities.

Because of the way that agencies report budget data to Congress, it can be difficult to identify the portion that is R&D. Consequently, R&D data presented in the agency analyses in this report may differ from R&D data in the President's budget or otherwise provided by OMB.

Funding for R&D is often included in appropriations line items that also include non-R&D activities; therefore, in such cases, it may not be possible to identify precisely how much of the funding provided in appropriations laws is allocated to R&D specifically. In general, R&D funding levels are known only after departments and agencies allocate their appropriations to specific activities and report those figures.

As of the date of this report, the House had completed action on none10 of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2020; the Senate had completed action on none of the bills. None of the 12 had been enacted as law.

This report will be updated as Congress takes additional actions to complete the FY2020 appropriations process.

In addition to this report, CRS produces individual reports on each of the appropriations bills. These reports can be accessed via the CRS website at http://www.crs.gov/iap/appropriations. Also, the status of each appropriations bill is available on the CRS web page, Status Table of Appropriations, available at http://www.crs.gov/AppropriationsStatusTable/Index.

Department of Defense²¹

The mission of the Department of Defense is to provide "the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security."²² Congress supports research and development activities at DOD primarily through the department's Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) funding. These funds support the development of the nation's future military hardware and software and the science and technology base upon which those products rely.

Most of what DOD spends on RDT&E is appropriated in Title IV of the annual defense appropriations bill. (See Table 8.) However, RDT&E funds are also appropriated in other parts of the bill. For example, RDT&E funds are appropriated as part of the Defense Health Program, the Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction Program, and the National Defense Sealift Fund. The Defense Health Program (DHP) supports the delivery of health care to DOD personnel and their families. DHP funds (including the RDT&E funds) are requested through the Defense-wide Operations and Maintenance appropriations request. The program's RDT&E funds support congressionally directed research on breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer; traumatic brain injuries; orthotics and prosthetics; and other medical conditions. Congress appropriates funds for this program in Title VI (Other Department of Defense Programs) of the defense appropriations bill. The Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction Program supports activities to destroy the U.S. inventory of lethal chemical agents and munitions to avoid future risks and costs associated with storage. Funds for this program are requested through the Defense-wide Procurement appropriations request. Congress appropriates funds for this program also in Title VI. The National Defense Sealift Fund supports the procurement, operation and maintenance, and research and development associated with the nation's naval reserve fleet and supports a U.S. flagged merchant fleet that can serve in time of need. In some fiscal years, RDT&E funding for this effort is requested in the Navy's Procurement request and appropriated in Title V (Revolving and Management Funds) of the appropriations bill.

RDT&E funds also have been requested and appropriated as part of DOD's separate funding to support efforts in what the George W. Bush Administration termed the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and what the Obama and Trump Administrations have referred to as Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). In appropriations bills, the term Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terror (OCO/GWOT) has been used; President Trump's FY2020 budget uses the term Overseas Contingency Operations. Typically, the RDT&E funds appropriated for OCO activities go to specified Program Elements (PEs) in Title IV.

According to the Comptroller of the Department of Defense, the FY2020 OCO request is divided into three requirement categories—direct war, enduring, and OCO for base.²³ For purposes of this report, these categories of OCO funding requests will be reported collectively.

In addition, OCO/GWOT-related requests/appropriations have included money for a number of transfer funds. In the past, these have included the Iraqi Freedom Fund (IFF), the Iraqi Security Forces Fund, the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, and the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund. Congress typically has made a single appropriation into each such fund and authorized the Secretary to make transfers to other accounts, including RDT&E, at his discretion. These transfers are eventually reflected in Title IV prior-year funding figures.

For FY2020, the Trump Administration is requesting $104.294 billion for DOD's Title IV RDT&E PEs (base plus OCO), $8.334 billion (8.7%) above the enacted FY2019 level. (See Table 8.) In addition, the request includes $732.3 million in RDT&E through the Defense Health Program (DHP; down $1.447 billion, 66.4% from FY2019), $875.9 million in RDT&E through the Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction program (down $10.8 million, 1.2% from FY2019), and $3.0 million for the Inspector General for RDT&E-related activities (down $1.0 million, 25.4% from FY2019). The FY2020 budget included no RDT&E funding via the National Defense Sealift Fund, the same as the FY2019 enacted level.

On June 19, 2019, the House passed the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R.2740), an omnibus appropriations measure that incorporates the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2020, as Division C of the bill. The House-passed bill including both (base plus OCO funding) would provide

$101.327 billion for Title IV RDT&E PEs, $5.466 billion (5.6%) above the FY2019 enacted level and $2.967 billion (2.8%) below the request;

$1.686 billion for the Defense Health Program, $493.3 million (22.6%) below the FY2019 enacted level, and $954.0 million (130.3%) above the request;

$875.9 million for the Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction program, down $10.8 million (1.2%) from the FY2019 enacted level, and equal to the request;

$3.0 million for the Inspector General, down $1.0 million (25.4%) from the FY2019 enacted level and equal to the request; and

no RDT&E funding for the National Defense Sealift Fund, equal to the FY2019 level and the request.

Total DOD RDT&E funding in the House-passed bill is $103,892.4 million, up $4,861.5 million (4.9%) from the FY2019 enacted level and $2,013.0 million (1.9%) below the request

RDT&E funding can be analyzed in different ways. RDT&E funding can be characterized organizationally. Each of military department requests and receives its own RDT&E funding. So, too, do various DOD agencies (e.g., the Missile Defense Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), collectively aggregated within the Defense-Wide account. RDT&E funding also can be characterized by budget activity (i.e., the type of RDT&E supported). Those budget activities designated as 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 (basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development, respectively) constitute what is called DOD's Science and Technology program (S&T) and represent the more research-oriented part of the RDT&E program. Budget activities 6.4 and 6.5 focus on the development of specific weapon systems or components for which an operational need has been determined and an acquisition program established. Budget activity 6.6 provides management support, including support for test and evaluation facilities. Budget activity 6.7 supports the development of system improvements in existing operational systems.²⁴

Many congressional policymakers are particularly interested in DOD S&T program funding since these funds support the development of new technologies and the underlying science. Some in the defense community see ensuring adequate support for S&T activities as imperative to maintaining U.S. military superiority into the future. The knowledge generated at this stage of development may also contribute to advances in commercial technologies. The FY2020 request for Title IV S&T funding (base plus OCO) is $14.135 billion, $1.524 billion (9.7%) below the FY2019 enacted level. Within the S&T program, basic research (6.1) receives special attention, particularly by the nation's universities. DOD is not a large supporter of basic research when compared to NIH or NSF. However, over half of DOD's basic research budget is spent at universities. The Trump Administration is requesting $2.320 billion for DOD basic research for FY2020, $208.4 million (8.2%) below the FY2019 enacted level. DOD is a substantial source of federal funds for university R&D in certain fields, such as aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering (40%); electrical, electronic, and communications engineering (39%); mechanical engineering (28%); computer and information sciences (28%); and materials science (25%).²⁵

The House-passed bill does not provide the detail needed to assess RDT&E funding by budget activity or to compare it to FY2019 enacted levels or FY2020 request levels by budget activity.

Department of Health and Human Services

The mission of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is "to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans ... by providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services."²⁶ This section focuses on HHS research and development funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an HHS agency that accounts for nearly 97% of total HHS R&D funding.²⁷ Other HHS agencies that provide funding for R&D include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Administration for Children and Families (ACF); additional R&D funding is attributed to departmental management.²⁸

National Institutes of Health²⁹

NIH is the primary agency of the federal government charged with performing and supporting biomedical and behavioral research. It also has major roles in training biomedical researchers and disseminating health information. The NIH mission is "to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability."³⁰ The agency consists of the NIH Office of the Director (OD) and 27 institutes and centers (ICs).

The OD sets overall policy for NIH and coordinates the programs and activities of all NIH components, particularly in areas of research that involve multiple institutes. The ICs focus on particular diseases (e.g., National Cancer Institute), areas of human health and development (e.g., National Institute on Aging), or scientific research fields or support (e.g., National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences). Each IC plans and manages its own research programs in coordination with OD. As shown in Table 9, separate appropriations are provided to 24 of the 27 ICs, as well as to OD, the Innovation Account (established by the 21^st Century Cures Act, P.L. 114-255), and an intramural Buildings and Facilities account. The other three centers, which perform centralized support services, are funded through transfers from the other ICs.

NIH supports and conducts a wide range of basic and clinical research, research training, and health information dissemination across all fields of biomedical and behavioral sciences. According to NIH, about 10% of the NIH budget supports intramural research projects conducted by the nearly 6,000 NIH federal scientists, most of whom are located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. More than 80% of NIH's budget goes to the extramural research community in the form of grants, contracts, and other awards. This funding supports research performed by more than 300,000 nonfederal scientists and technical personnel who work at more than 2,500 universities, hospitals, medical schools, and other research institutions.³¹

Funding for NIH comes primarily from the annual Labor, HHS, and Education (LHHS) appropriations act, with an additional amount for Superfund-related activities from the Interior/Environment appropriations act. Those two appropriations acts provide NIH's discretionary budget authority. In addition, NIH has receivedreceives mandatory funding of $150 million annually provided in the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), Section 330B, for a special program on type 1 diabetes research. ^{Under current law, no new funding will be available for this program after September 30, 2019.32} 32 Some funding is also transferred to NIH pursuant to the "PHS Evaluation Tap" Transfertransfer authority, under Section 241 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. §238j). This provision allows the Secretary of HHS, with the approval of appropriators, to redistribute a portion of eligible PHS agency appropriations across HHS for program evaluation purposes.³³ Although the PHS Act limits the tap to no more than 1% of eligible appropriations, in recent years annual LHHS appropriations acts have specified a higher amount (2.5% in FY2019, P.L. 115-245)³⁴ and have also typically directed specific amounts of funding from the tap for transfer to a number of HHS programs. The assessment has the effect of redistributing appropriated funds for specific purposes among PHS and other HHS agencies. NIH, with the largest budget among the PHS agencies, has historically been the largest "donor" of program evaluation funds; until recently, it had been a relatively minor recipient.³⁵ Provisions in recent LHHS appropriations acts have directed specific tap transfers to NIH, making NIH a net recipient of tap funds. authority.³³ The total funding available for NIH activities, taking account of add-ons and PHS tap transfers, is known as the NIH program level.³⁴

President Trump's FY2020 budget request would provideproposes for NIH a total program level of $34.368 billion, a decrease of $4.941 billion (12.6%) compared with FY2019 enacted levels.³⁵36 The proposed FY2020 program level total would include $33.410 billion provided through LHHS appropriations (including the full amount authorized by the 21^st Century Cures Act); $741 million frompursuant to the PHS evaluation transfer; $66.581 million provided through Interior/Environment appropriations for Superfund-related activities; and $150 million in proposed funding for the mandatory type 1 diabetes program. , authorized by PHSA Sec. 330B. For this proposal, Congress and the President would need to enact legislation to extend the special diabetes program funding, because under current law, no new funding will be available for this program after September 30, 2019.³⁷Under the FY2020 budget proposal, all existing ICs and budget activity lines, except for Buildings and Facilities, would receive a decrease compared to FY2019 enacted levels (see Table 9).³⁶38 The Buildings and Facilities appropriation of $200 million would not change from FY2019 to FY2020.

Additionally, the FY2020 Budget Request proposes consolidating the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality into NIH, forming a 28^th IC—the National Institute for Research on Safety and Quality (NIRSQ). The creation of a new NIH institute would require an amendment to PHSA Section 401(d), which specifies that "[i]n the National Institutes of Health, the number of national research institutes and national centers may not exceed a total of 27." Under the request, NISRQ would receive $256 million in funding for FY2020.³⁷39

The main funding mechanism NIH uses to support extramural research is research project grants (RPGs), which are competitive, peer-reviewed, and largely investigator-initiated. Historically, over 50% of the NIH budget is used to support RPGs, which include salaries for investigators and research staff.³⁸40 The FY2020 budget proposes to reduce the average cost of RPGs by capping the percentage of an investigator's salary that can be paid with grant funds to 90%.³⁹41

The FY2020 TrumpNIH budget proposalrequest also includes $150 million in mandatory funding for research on type 1 diabetes authorized under the PHS Act Section 330B within the budget of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). For this proposal, Congress and the President would need to enact legislation to extend the special diabetes program funding, because under current law, no new funding will be available for this program after September 30, 2019.⁴⁰ Additionally, the FY2020 program level request includes $741 million in funding transferred to NIH by the PHS evaluation tap. Discretionary funding for certain programs at NIH and other HHS agencies that are authorized under the PHS Act can be subject to an assessment under Section 241 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. §238j). This provision authorizes the Secretary to use a portion of eligible appropriations to study the effectiveness of federal health programs and to identify improvements. Although the PHS Act limits the tap to no more than 1% of eligible appropriations, in recent years, annual LHHS appropriations acts have specified a higher amount (2.5% in FY2019)⁴¹ and have also typically directed specific amounts of funding from the tap for transfer to a number of HHS programs. The assessment has the effect of redistributing appropriated funds for specific purposes among PHS and other HHS agencies. NIH, with the largest budget among the PHS agencies, has historically been the largest "donor" of program evaluation funds; until recently, it had been a relatively minor recipient.⁴² Provisions in recent LHHS appropriations acts have directed specific tap transfers to NIH, making NIH a net recipient of tap funds.

The FY2020 NIH budget request also includes $492 million made available through the 21^st Century Cures Act (see text box below; hereinafter referred to as "The Cures Act"). The Cures Act (P.L. 114-255) specifies that $149 million is for the Precision Medicine Initiative, $140 million is for the BRAIN Initiative, $195 million is for cancer research, and $8 million is for research on regenerative medicine for FY2020.⁴³

The President's FY2020 budget identifies several research priorities for NIH in the coming year. The overview below outlines some of these priority themes in the budget request.

1. Confronting the Opioids Crisis

The request includes $1.3 billion designated for opioids and pain research across NIH, with $500 million of the total for the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) initiative. The HEAL Initiative, launched in April 2018, aims to accelerate the development of new medications and devices to treat opioid addiction. In addition, NIH plans to support research on neonatal abstinence syndrome, chronic pain, and other opioids-related issues.⁴⁴

492 million made available through the 21^st Century Cures Act (see text box below; hereinafter referred to as "The Cures Act"). The Cures Act (P.L. 114-255) specifies that $149 million is for the Precision Medicine Initiative, $140 million is for the BRAIN Initiative, $195 million is for cancer research, and $8 million is for research on regenerative medicine for FY2020.⁴²

In June 2019, the House passed two consolidated appropriations bills with proposed funding levels for NIH accounts: H.R. 2740 with proposed LHHS appropriations⁴³ and H.R. 3055 with proposed Interior/Environment appropriations.⁴⁴ In summary, House-passed legislation would provide NIH FY2020 funding levels made up of

• $39.937 billion provided through LHHS appropriations (including the full amount authorized by the 21^st Century Cures Act);
• $1.146 billion pursuant to the PHS evaluation transfer directed in the LHHS appropriations bill; and
• $80 million provided through Interior/Environment appropriations for Superfund-related activities;

In total, the House legislation discussed above would provide NIH discretionary BA and PHS evaluation tap funding of $41.2 billion—$2.0 billion (+5.1%) more than FY2019 enacted levels and $6.9 billion (+20.3%) more than proposed by the Administration's FY2020 budget request. The House appropriations bills would provide an increase to all IC accounts compared to FY2019 enacted levels, except for Buildings and Facilities which would be provided the same funding level as FY2019 of $200 million.

Legislation to extend the mandatory funding for the Special Diabetes Program for type 1 diabetes research has received committee consideration in the House, the Special Diabetes Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2668). The bill would extend the program through FY2024 and increase annual funding by $50 million compared to current law—from $150 million to $200 million. If passed by the House, the total House-proposed FY2020 NIH program level would be $41.4 billion.

The House did not adopt the Administration's proposal to consolidate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality into NIH nor to cap the percentage of an investigator's salary that can be paid with grant funds to 90%. The report accompanying the LHHS appropriations bill (H.Rept. 116-62) did not address either of these proposals.⁴⁵

The Senate has not begun consideration of FY2020 appropriations. However, legislation to extend mandatory funding for type 1 diabetes research has been introduced by the chair of Senate Health, Labor, Education, and Pensions (HELP) committee, Senator Alexander. The Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act (S. 192) would extend the Special Diabetes Program for type 1 diabetes through FY2024 with the same annual funding level provided under current law—$150 million.

The President's FY2020 budget identifies several research priorities for NIH in the coming year. The overview below outlines some of these priority themes in the budget request. Selected responses from congressional report language are also provided.

1. Confronting the Opioids Crisis

The request includes $1.3 billion designated for opioids and pain research across NIH, with $500 million of the total for the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) initiative. The HEAL Initiative, launched in April 2018, aims to accelerate the development of new medications and devices to treat opioid addiction. In addition, NIH plans to support research on neonatal abstinence syndrome, chronic pain, and other opioids-related issues.⁴⁶

The House also recommends no less than $500 million for the HEAL Initiative provided equally ($250 million each) through appropriations to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).⁴⁷

2. Pediatric Research

The FY2020 request proposes $50 million in designated funding for a pediatric cancer initiative. The initiative, designed to complement existing pediatric cancer research, would aggregate data on pediatric cancer cases and coordinate existing datasets to create a "comprehensive, shared resource to support research on childhood cancer in all its forms."⁴⁶48 The request also designates $15 million for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network to support pediatric clinical studies, such as on the "dosing, safety, and efficacy of drugs that are commonly prescribed to children."⁴⁷

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House FY2020 appropriations would include the $50 million in designated funding for a pediatric cancer initiative, and the report includes additional language to prioritize research on brain cancer in children, to continue the work of the Children's Oncology Group, and for NIH to collaborate with pediatric immunotherapy trials.⁵⁰ The House did not designate a funding level for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network.

3. Supporting the Next Generation of Researchers

The request would provide $100 million in dedicated funding for the Next Generation Researchers Initiative, which aims to support new and early stage scientists in attaining their first NIH grants.⁴⁸51 Through the program, NIH ICs are to create funding pathways and other strategies targeted at new and early-stage scientists, and would be required to collect data and evaluate their outcomes.⁴⁹

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The House report stated that their proposed funding increases provided to all IC accounts, in part, would allow for "an increase in the number of new and competing Research Project Grants, with a focus on early-stage investigators and investigators seeking first-time renewals."⁵³

4. Ending the HIV Epidemic

As a part of a proposed HHS wide plan, "Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America," the FY2020 request designates $6 million in funding to Centers for AIDS Research to collect data and inform HHS on best practices for the initiative. The goal for the plan is to reduce new infections by 75% in the next 5 years, and by 90% in the next 10 years.⁵⁰54 The House would provide an increase of $6 million compared to FY2019 funding for Centers for AIDS Research, raising the funding level from $45 million to $51 million.⁵⁵

5. New Technologies and Biomedical Research

NIH plans to continue to support biomedical innovations using new technologies, including for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. An example includes a smartphone-based system for people with diabetes to monitor blood glucose levels. NIH also aims to accelerate scientific discovery through new data science methods. In June 2018, NIH released a Strategic Plan for Data Science, with an agency-wide plan for increasing and improving its use of large biomedical datasets. In addition, NIH plans to convene a new working group on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and biomedical research.⁵¹

Along with the above priorities, the President's budget request identifies ongoing support related to precision medicine, universal flu vaccine, and NIH buildings and facilities.⁵²56 The House report did not specifically address new technologies and biomedical research.⁵⁷

Department of Energy⁵³

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The Department of Energy (DOE) was established in 1977 by the Department of Energy Organization Act (P.L. 95-91), which combined energy-related programs from a variety of agencies with defense-related nuclear programs that dated back to the Manhattan Project. Today, DOE conducts basic scientific research in fields ranging from nuclear physics to the biological and environmental sciences; basic and applied R&D relating to energy production and use; and R&D on nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and defense nuclear reactors. The department has a system of 17 national laboratories around the country, mostly operated by contractors, that together account for about 40% of all DOE expenditures.

The Administration's FY2020 budget request for DOE includes about $12.783283 billion for R&D and related activities, including programs in three broad categories: science, national security, and energy. This request is 18.621.8% less than the enacted FY2019 amount of $15.712 billion. The House bill would provide about $16.385 billion. (See Table 10 for details.)

The request for the DOE Office of Science is $5.546 billion, a decrease of 15.8% from the FY2019 appropriation of $6.585 billion. Funding would decrease for each of the office's six major research programs. In Basic Energy Sciences, almost half the proposed decrease would result from the approaching end of construction on the Linac Coherent Light Source II (no funding requested for FY2020, down from $129 million in FY2019). Funding for Biological and Environmental Research would decrease by $211 million (29.9%), with reductions concentrated in the Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences subprogram. In Advanced Scientific Computing Research, the Office of Science Exascale Computing Project would receive $189 million, down 18.9% from $233 million in FY2019.⁵⁴59 Funding for Fusion Energy Sciences would decrease by $161 million (28.6%), including a $25 million (18.9%) decrease in. Within Fusion Energy Sciences, the U.S. contribution to construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a fusion energy demonstration and research facility in France, would be $107 million (down from $132 million in FY2019).

The House bill would provide $6.870 billion for the Office of Science. All six of the major programs would receive more than the Administration's request; all except Basic Energy Sciences would receive more than they did in FY2019. In the Biological and Environmental Research program, funding for Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences would be about $349 million, up from $337 million in FY2019 and more than double the Administration's request. In Advanced Scientific Computing Research, the Exascale Computing Project would receive the requested amount. Fusion Energy Sciences would receive 71% more than the request and 22% more than in FY2019, including $230 million for the U.S. contribution to ITER.

.

The request for DOE national security R&D is $4.925425 billion, an increase of 11.80.4% from $4.406 billion in FY2019. Funding for Weapons Activities RDT&E would increase 37.913.1%, including an increase of $123 million for Advanced Simulation and Computing and an increase of $95 million (190.3%) for Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments. In Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D, reactor conversion activities would transfer to a non-R&D account; excluding this accounting change, funding for the remaining program would increase by 3.8%. Funding for the Naval Reactors program would decrease by 7.8% overall, with increases for operations, infrastructure, and technology development offset by previously planned decreases in funding for construction and two major multiyear projects. The House bill would provide $4.460 billion for DOE national security R&D. In the Weapons Activities account, Advanced Simulation and Computing and Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments would both receive the requested amounts. Within Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D, the bill would provide $15 million for a new activity to develop low-enriched fuels to replace highly enriched uranium in naval applications.

The request for DOE energy R&D is $2.313 billion, a decrease of 51.0% from $4.721 billion in FY2019. Many of the proposed reductions in this category are similar to the Administration's FY2019 budget proposals. Funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy R&D would decrease by 66.3%, with reductions in all major research areas and a shift in emphasis toward early-stage R&D rather than later-stage development and deployment. Funding for fossil energy R&D would decrease by 24.1%, with reductions focused particularly on coal carbon capture and storage ($69 million, down from $199 million in FY2019) and natural gas technologies ($11 million, down from $51 million in FY2019). The request for fuel cycle R&D is $90 million (down from $264 million in FY2019), and nuclear energy as a whole would decrease by 37.9%, with no funding requested for the Integrated University Program ($5 million in FY2019) or the Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) R&D initiative ($5 million in FY2019). The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which is intended to advance high-impact energy technologies that have too much technical and financial uncertainty to attract near-term private-sector investment, would be terminated. The House bill would provide $5.055 billion for DOE Energy R&D. Funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy R&D would be more than triple the request and about 11% more than in FY2019, with increases relative to FY2019 in all major research areas. Funding for fossil energy R&D would be about the same as in FY2019, including $227 million for coal carbon capture and storage and $48 million for natural gas R&D. Funding for nuclear energy would also be about the same as in FY2019, including $319 million for fuel cycle R&D and $5 million each for the Integrated University Program and STEP R&D. ARPA-E would receive $428 million, an increase of 17% relative to FY2019.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration⁵⁵

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created in 1958 by the National Aeronautics and Space Act (P.L. 85-568) to conduct civilian space and aeronautics activities. NASA has research programs in planetary science, Earth science, heliophysics, astrophysics, and aeronautics, as well as development programs for future human spacecraft and for multipurpose space technology such as advanced propulsion systems. In addition, NASA operates the International Space Station (ISS) as a facility for R&D and other purposes.

The Administration is requestinginitially requested about $17.845 billion for NASA R&D in FY2020. This iswould be 0.1% less than FY2019 funding of about $17.865 billion. A budget amendment subsequently requested an additional $1.597 billion.⁶¹ The House bill (H.R. 3055) would provide about $19.051 billion. For a breakdown of these amounts, see Table 11. NASA R&D funding comes through five accounts: Science; Aeronautics; Space Technology (called Exploration Technology in the Administration's budget request); Exploration (Deep Space Exploration Systems in the request); and the ISS, Commercial Crew, and Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Development portions of Space Operations (called LEO and Spaceflight Operations in the request).

The initial FY2020 request for Science is $6.304 billion, a decrease of 8.7% from FY2019. Within this total, funding for Earth Science would decrease by $151 million (7.8%); funding for Planetary Science would decrease by $136 million (4.9%); and funding for Astrophysics would decrease by $347 million (29.1%). The request for Earth Science includes no funding for the Pre-Aerosol, Clouds, and Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission or the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Pathfinder mission. PACE and CLARREO Pathfinder were also proposed for termination in the FY2018 and FY2019 budgets but were funded by Congress. The request for Planetary Science includes $593 million for a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, but in contrast to prior congressional direction, the mission would launch on a commercial rocket and would not include a lander. The Planetary Science request also includes $210 million for the Lunar Discovery and Exploration program, initiated in FY2019, to fund public-private partnerships for research using commercial lunar landers. The request for Astrophysics does not include funding for the Wide Field Infrared Space Telescope (WFIRST, $312 million in FY2019). The proposed increase of $48 million for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) would provide $155 million more for JWST in FY2020 than was projected in the FY2019 budget; this change reflects previously announced cost increases and schedule delays. The budget amendment requests an additional $90 million for Science, to support robotic exploration of the Moon's polar regions in advance of a human lunar mission. The House bill would provide $7.161 billion for Science, which would be $858 million (or 14%) more than the initial request. The total includes funding for PACE ($147 million), CLARREO Pathfinder ($26 million), and WFIRST ($511 million). It includes the requested amount for a Europa mission without a lander component, but it directs NASA to request funding for continued R&D on a Europa lander in the FY2021 budget. It includes, without comment, the requested amount for JWST. It does not include the additional funding proposed in the budget amendment.

The FY2020 request for Aeronautics is $667 million, a decrease of 8.0% from FY2019. The request includes $104 million for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator program, intended to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight. The House bill would provide $700 million. House report language emphasizes this program's work on hypersonics technology and electric aircraft. The initial .

The FY2020 request for Exploration Technology (currently Space Technology) is $1.014 billion, an increase of 9.4% from FY2019. The request proposes $119 million for a mostly new Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative. It proposes $45 million for a restructured In-Space Robotic Servicing program, down from $180 million for the RESTORE-L robotic servicing mission in FY2019.

The The budget amendment requests an additional $132 million to support technology development for lunar surface activities and other aspects of a human return to the Moon.

The House bill would provide $1.292 billion for Space Technology. This total includes $180 million for RESTORE-L. It also includes $125 million for nuclear thermal propulsion technology and $8 million for space-related regional economic development, neither of which was in the Administration request. It does not include the additional funding proposed in the budget amendment. The House report does not mention the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative. It directs NASA to preserve the Space Technology Mission Directorate "as a standalone entity within the agency" and maintain its focus on "broad technology development goals that are independent of mission-specific needs."

The initial FY2020 request for Deep Space Exploration Systems (currently Exploration) is $5.022 billion, a decrease of 0.6% from FY2019. This account funds development of the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle and the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket, the capsule and launch vehicle mandated by the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 for future human exploration beyond Earth orbit. The first test flight of SLS carrying Orion but no crew (known as EM-1)Artemis 1)⁶² is now expected no earlier than June 2020. The first flight of Orion and the SLS with a crew on board (known as EM-2)Artemis 2)⁶³ is expected by April 2023. FundingUnder the request, funding for Orion, the SLS, and related ground systems (collectively known as Exploration Systems Development) would decrease by $651 million (15.9%). The account also funds Exploration R&D, which would increase by $622 million (64.9%). The request for Exploration R&D includes $821 million for a platform in lunar orbit (known as the Gateway) to serve as a test bed for deep space human exploration capabilities.

The budget amendment requests an additional $1.375 billion for Deep Space Exploration Systems to keep the SLS and Orion programs on schedule and accelerate the development of human-rated lunar lander systems. The budget amendment would defer some elements of the Gateway, relative to the plans set out in the original request.

The House bill would provide $5.130 billion for Exploration. This total includes $726 million (21%) more than the initial request for Exploration Systems Development and $618 million (39%) less than the initial request for Exploration R&D. It does not include the additional funding proposed in the budget amendment. The House committee report does not specify an amount for the Gateway platform, funded in Exploration R&D, but it associates the Administration's proposed increase in Gateway funding with proposed decreases in other programs (such as PACE, CLARREO, and WFIRST) that it rejects.

In the LEO and Spaceflight Operations account (currently Space Operations), the request for Commercial Crew is $102 million, a decrease of 41.1% from FY2019; the request for the ISS is $1.458 billion;⁵⁶64 and the request for Commercial LEO Development, a new program in FY2019, is $150 million (an increase of 275.0%). The reduction in Commercial Crew funding reflects the expected transition of commercial crew activities from development to operations: the first post-certification crewed flight to the ISS is planned for late FY2019. The Commercial LEO Development program is intended to stimulate a commercial space economy in low Earth orbit, including the commercial provision of NASA's requirements for research and technology demonstration after the proposed end of direct ISS funding in 2025. The House bill would provide the requested amount for the Space Operations account as a whole. The House committee report does not specify how that total should be allocated to Commercial Crew, the ISS, Commercial LEO Development, or other programs.

National Science Foundation⁵⁷

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The National Science Foundation supports basic research and education in the nonmedical sciences and engineering. Congress established the foundation as an independent federal agency in 1950 and directed it to "promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes."⁵⁸66 The NSF is a primary source of federal support for U.S. university research, especially in mathematics and computer science. 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.

NSF has six appropriations accounts: Research and Related Activities (RRA, the main research account), Education and Human Resources (EHR, the main education account), Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC), Agency Operations and Award Management (AOAM), the National Science Board (NSB), and the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Appropriations are generally provided at the account level, while program-specific direction may be included in appropriations acts, or accompanying conference reports or explanatory statements.

Because final FY2019 funding was not available at the time the FY2020 budget request was prepared, requested R&D funding is compared to the FY2018 actual funding. FY2019 funding levels, enacted February 15, 2019, are included for reference.⁵⁹67 These amounts are available only at the account level; FY2019 R&D breakouts and subaccount funding amounts are not yet available for comparison.

Funding for R&D is included in the RRA, EHR, and MREFC accounts. (The RRA and EHR accounts also include non-R&D funding.) Together, these three accounts comprise 95% of the total requested funding for NSF. Actual R&D obligations for each account are known after NSF allocates funding appropriations to specific activities and reports those figures.⁶⁰68 The budget request specifies R&D funding for the conduct of research, including basic and applied research, and for physical assets, including R&D facilities and major equipment. Funding amounts for FY2018 actual and FY2020 requested levels are reported by account, including amounts for R&D conduct and physical assets where applicable, in Table 12.

Overall. The Administration is requesting $7.07 billion for the NSF in FY2020, $1.01 billion (12.5%) less than the FY2019 enacted amount, and $752 million (9.6%) less than the FY2018 actual amount. The request would decrease budget authority in three accounts relative to the FY2018 enacted level: RRA by $717.4 million (11.2%), EHR by $80.4 million (8.9%), and NSB by $200,000 (4.7%). The request would increase budget authority for the MREFC account by $36.9 million (19.8%) and provide slight increases to the AOAM (2.6%, $8.4 million) and OIG (1.7%, $260,000) accounts. Overall, NSF estimates that, under the FY2020 request, agency-wide funding rates (i.e., the percentage of submitted proposals that are successfully awarded funding) would decrease slightly from 24% to 23%, with 1,317 fewer new competitive awards, compared to FY2018.

As a proportion of NSF's total funding, R&D activities account for approximately 81%. For FY2020, $5.72 billion is requested for R&D activities, a 10% decrease from FY2018 actual funding for R&D of $6.36 billion. The total request includes $5.22 billion (91%) for the conduct of R&D, and $506 million (9%) for R&D facilities and major equipment. Of funding requested for the conduct of R&D, 87% is requested for basic research, and 13% for applied research. Overall funding for R&D facilities and major equipment supports not only the construction and acquisition phases, funded through MREFC ($223 million requested), but also the planning, design, and postconstruction operations and maintenance, funded through RRA ($282 million requested).

As passed by the House on June 25, 2019, the Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 3055) would provide a total of $8.363 billion to NSF in FY2020, a $1.570 billion (22%) increase from the requested amount, and a $561 million (7%) increase from the FY2019 enacted amount. These amounts include both R&D and non-R&D funding.

Research. The Administration seeks $5.66 billion for RRA in FY2020, an $857 million (13.1%) decrease compared to the FY2019 enacted funding, and a $717 million (11.2%) decrease compared to FY2018 actual funding. Compared to the FY2018 actual levels, the FY2020 request includes decreases for 8 of the 10 RRA subaccounts. The largest percentage decrease would go to the Office of Polar Programs (19.6%, $98.3 million decrease). The largest percentage increase would go to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission account (6.3%, $90,000 increase). The FY2020 request also includes $151 million for the RRA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, a $19.4 million (11.3%) decrease compared to FY2018 actual funding.

Within the RRA account, the FY2020 request includes $5.08 billion for R&D, a decrease of $634 million (11.1%) compared to the FY2018 actual amount. Of this amount, the majority ($4.80 billion, 94%) is requested for the conduct of research, including $4.38 billion for basic research and $417 million for applied research.

As passed by the House, H.R. 3055 would provide a total of $7.106 billion for RRA, $1.443 billion (25%) more than the request, and $586 million (9%) more than the FY2019 enacted amount.

Education. The FY2020 request for the EHR account is $86.5 million (9.5%) less than the FY2019 enacted amount and $80.4 million (8.9%) less than the FY2018 actual level. By program division, the Division of Human Resource Development would receive an increase of $15.6 million (9.6%) over the FY2018 actual level. The divisions of research on learning in formal and informal settings, graduate education, and undergraduate education would receive decreases of 20.4% ($182 million requested), 5.5% ($244 million requested), and 13.8% ($219 million requested), respectively.

EHR programs of particular interest to congressional policymakers include the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and National Research Traineeship (NRT) programs. The FY2020 request for GRFP is $257 million, a reduction of $27.9 million (9.8%) from the FY2018 actual level. The FY2020 request for NRT is $49.5 million, a $4.3 million (8.0%) decrease from FY2018.

Within EHR, requested funding for R&D is $420 million, which is $37.7 million (8.2%) less than the FY2018 actual funding amount and accounts for approximately 7.3% of the agency's total R&D request. All of the requested funding would support the conduct of R&D, including $150 million for basic research and $270 million for applied research.

As passed by the House, H.R. 3055 would provide a total of $950 million for EHR, $127 million (15%) more than the request, and $40 million (4%) more than the FY2019 enacted amount.

Construction. The MREFC account supports large construction projects and scientific instruments, with all of the funding supporting R&D facilities. The Administration is seeking $223 million for MREFC in FY2020, $36.9 million (19.8%) more than the FY2018 enacted amount, and $72.5 million (24.5%) less than the FY2018 actual amount.

Requested MREFC funding would support continued construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST, $46.3 million requested, 5.1% decrease from FY2019 enacted) and Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for Science (AIMS, $97.9 million requested, 5.6% decrease from FY2019 enacted). The request includes $33.0 million for upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, which would represent the first year of a five-year project. Additionally, $45.0 million is requested for Mid-scale Research Infrastructure projects in the $20 million to $70 million range; this is a new funding line-item in the MREFC account meant to manage support for upgrades to major facilities and stand-alone projects in this range as a portfolio.

As passed by the House, H.R. 3055 would provide a total of $223 million for MREFC, equal to the request, and $73 million (25%) less than the FY2019 enacted amount.

Other Other initiatives. The FY2019 NSF budget request includes funding for three multiagency initiatives. This funding is included in multiple NSF appropriations accounts, and R&D amounts are not separately provided. The National Nanotechnology Initiative would receive $389 million, $179 million (31.4%) less than in FY2018. The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program would receive $1.20 billion, a decrease of $98.2 million (7.6%). The U.S. Global Change Research Program would receive $224 million, $30.0 million (11.8%) less than in FY2018.⁶¹

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Department of Agriculture⁶²

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created in 1862, in part to support agricultural research in an expanding, agriculturally dependent country. Today, USDA conducts intramural research at federal facilities with federally employed scientists and supports external research at universities and other facilities through competitive grants and formula-based funding. The breadth of contemporary USDA research spans traditional agricultural production techniques, organic and sustainable agriculture, bioenergy, nutrition needs and food composition, food safety, animal and plant health, pest and disease management, economic decisionmaking, and other social sciences affecting consumers, farmers, and rural communities.

Four agencies carry out USDA's intramural research and education activities, grouped together into the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. The agencies involved are the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and Economic Research Service (ERS).

The FY2019 enacted appropriation (P.L. 116-6) provides a total of $3,424.1House-passed FY2020 appropriations bill (H.R. 3055) would provide a total of $3,283.2 million in discretionary spending for the four agencies. The Administration is requesting a total of $2,868.7 million for the four agencies in FY2020, a 16.2% reduction ($555.4 in FY2020, a 4.1% decrease ($140.9 million) over the enacted FY2019 amount ($3,424.1 million), and 14.4% more than the Administration's FY2020 request ($2,868.7 million). Most of that year-over-year reduction (78%) is attributable to the reduced request for ARS salaries and expenses and the ARS buildings and facilities account (see Table 13). The remainder of the year-over-year reduction comes from decreases in certain research and education, extension, and integrated activities in NIFA, as well as in NASS and ERS. In addition to discretionary appropriations, agricultural research is funded by state matching contributions and private donations or grants, as well as certain mandatory funding authorized by the farm bill.⁶³ USDA's FY2019 enacted71 The FY2020 House-passed recommendation for discretionary appropriations and the Administration's FY2020 request for the four research agencies are discussed below.

Agricultural Research Service

The Agricultural Research Service is USDA's in-house basic and applied research agency. It operates approximately 90 laboratories nationwide with about 6,600 employees. ARS laboratories focus on efficient food and fiber production, development of new products and uses for agricultural commodities, development of effective controls for pest management, and support of USDA regulatory and technical assistance programs. ARS also operates the National Agricultural Library, one of the department's primary information repositories for food, agriculture, and natural resource sciences.

For FY2019, P.L. 116-6 provides $1,303.3 billion for ARS salaries and expenses and $381.2 million for buildings and facilitiesFY2020, H.R. 3055 would provide $1,347.5 million for ARS salaries and expenses ($44.2 million more than FY2019) and $50.0 million for buildings and facilities ($331.2 million less than FY2019). The Administration is requesting $1,203.5 billionmillion for ARS salaries and expenses for FY2020, a decrease of $99.8 million (7.6%) from the FY2019 appropriation. For FY2020, the requestand $50.0 million for the buildings and facilities account is $50.0 million (Table 13).

ARS will assumeassumes ownership of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in FY2019 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The FY2019 enacted bill provides $10.6 million to address one-time costs associated with the transfer of the science program from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center to NBAF, and $42.0 million to address stand-up activities and other initial costs to operate and maintain the new facility. NBAF is expected to be fully operational by December 31, 2022. From the total salaries and expenses appropriation for FY2020, the Administration is requesting $13.1 million for NBAF. The FY2019 enacted bill provides an additional $5.0 million for ARS to increase research efforts on foreign animal diseases, and an additional $2.0 million to expand research on resilient dryland farming.

FY2019 conference report language (H.Rept. 116-9) criticized ARS for not reporting a single specific negative finding by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspections of ARS research facilities that use animals as research subjects. The report noted that numerous violations had been found involving death and serious health issues of animal subjects, and directed ARS to submit a report within 60 days of enactment covering all violations found by APHIS and the actions taken to prevent them from recurring.

P.L. 116-9 does not support the Administration's request to terminate or redirect various ARS research programs, or the closure of ARS research locationsH.R. 3055 authorizes $13.1 million of the ARS salary and expenses account for stand-up costs for NBAF, the same as requested by the Administration. The House-passed bill also directs USDA to submit a strategic plan for NBAF to Congress, as required by P.L. 116-6.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) provides federal funding for research, education, and extension projects conducted in partnership with State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the State Cooperative Extension System, land grant universities, colleges, and other research and education institutions, as well as individual researchers. These partnerships include the 1862 land-grant institutions, 1890 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) established by the Morrill Acts, the 1994 tribal land-grant colleges, and Hispanic-serving institutions.⁶⁴72 Federal funds enhance research capacity at universities and institutions through statutory formula funding, competitive awards, and grants.⁶⁵

73 The House-passed bill recommends $1,617.1 million

For FY2019, P.L. 116-6 provides $1,471.3 billion in discretionary spending in FY2020 for NIFA activities. This is $145.8 million more (9.9%) than was enacted in FY2019 and $225.4 million more (16.2%) than requested by the Administration (Table 13). H.R. 3055 would provide $265 for NIFA activities. The Administration's FY2020 request for NIFA is $1,391.7 billion, a reduction of $79.6 million (5.4%) from FY2019 (Table 13). The enacted bill provides $259.0 million to support Hatch Act formula funding for 1862 land grant university research and education activities. For FY2020, the Administration is requesting $243.2 million for Hatch Act funding, a 6.1% reductionThis is $6.0 million more than FY2019 and $21.8 million more than requested. For Evans-Allen formula funding to the 19 HBCUs, the FY2019 bill provides $58House-passed bill would provide $67.0 million for research and $19.3 million for education grants($9.0 million more than enacted for FY2019), and $23.0 million for education grants ($4.0 million more than enacted for FY2019). The Administration requests $53.8 million in Evans-Allen funding for FY2020 (7.28% reduction from FY2019), and $18.7 million for education grants. For research grants to the 1994 Tribal institutions, and for education grants to Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving institutions, the FY2019 appropriation provides $3.8 and $3.2 million, respectively. For FY2020, the Administration requests $3.4 million for the 1994 Tribal institutions, and $0 for education grants to the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving institutionsthe House-passed bill recommends $3.8 million (the same as FY2019), and $11.9 million for the Native American Institutions Endowment Fund. For education grants to Hispanic-serving institutions, the House-passed bill recommends $20.0 million, $11.0 million more than FY2019.

For McIntire-Stennis cooperative forestry research support, P.L. 116-6 provides $36.0 million for the House-passed bill recommends $38.0 million for FY2020, $2.0 million more than FY2019. The Administration is requesting $28.9 million for FY2020, approximately 20% less than FY2019. The FY2019 appropriation. The House-passed bill also provides $3745.0 million for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. The Administration requests a reduction of $18.0 million (48.6%) for the program in FY2020.

The FY2019 enacted bill provides $415, $8.0 million more than FY2019. The House-passed bill would provide $460.0 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)—USDA's flagship competitive research grants program. This is $45.0 million more (10.8%) than FY2019. The Administration is requesting $500.0 million for the program in FY2020, a 20.5% increase over FY2019. This budget item currently represents about 3028% of the total NIFA discretionary budget.

For Cooperative Extension support at 1862 land grant universities under the Smith-Lever Act, the House-passed bill recommends $325.0 million for Sections (b) and (c) formula funding for FY2019, the enacted appropriation provides a total of $315.0 million for these extension activitiesFY2020, $10 million more than enacted for FY2019. The Administration requests $299.4 million for these programs in FY2020. The Smith-Lever Sections (b) and (c) programs include extension services at the HBCUs and the 1994 Tribal colleges, faculty improvement grants to HBCUs, and women and minorities in STEM fields, among other programs.

P.L. 116-6 provides $86.6 million for Smith-Lever 3(dThe House-passed bill recommends $47.0 million and $8.0 million respectively for extension activities at HBCUs and 1994 tribal colleges. The House-passed bill recommends $86.8 million for Smith-Lever 3(d) (versus $86.6 million for FY2019) activities, including food and nutrition education, new technologies for agricultural extension, and children, youth, and families at risk. For FY2020, the Administration is requesting $58.1 million for Smith-Lever Section 3(d) funding, $55.1 million of which would support the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, andwhile $3.0 million would support Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program for programs on American Indian Reservations and Tribal jurisdictions. The Administration is requesting $0 funding in FY2020 for other Smith-Lever Section 3(d) programs.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

The National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts the quinquennial Census of Agriculture and provides official statistics on agricultural production and indicators of the economic and environmental status of the farm sector.

The House-passed bill recommends $180.8 million for FY2020, $45.3 of which is reserved for the 2017 Census of Agriculture and Current Industrial Report surveys. The bill also rejects any reductions in ongoing activities, such as certain crop surveys, and recommends $2.0 million for the Farm Labor Survey. For FY2019, P.L. 116-6 provides $174.5 million to NASS, of which up to $45.3 million is reserved to support the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The enacted bill also provides $600,000 for the Geospatial Improvement Initiative and an increase of $500,000 for the Floriculture Crops Report. The Administration is requesting $163.0 million for NASS in FY2020, and up to $45.3 million to support the 2017 Census. ResultsNASS's on-going 2017 Census data analysis. Initial results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture were released on April 11, 2019.

Economic Research Service

The Economic Research Service supports economic and social science analysis about agriculture, rural development, food, commodity markets, and the environment. It also collects and disseminates data concerning USDA programs and policies. ERS is one of 13 "principal statistical agencies" of the Federal Statistical System of the United States.⁶⁶

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For FY2019, FY2020, the House-passed bill recommends $87.8 million for ERS. The Committee also directs ERS to provide a report within one year on the potential opportunities to recover greater value from farm animal waste. P.L. 116-6 provides $86.8 million for ERS activities in FY2019. The Administration has requested $60.5 million for ERS in FY2020, a 30.3% decrease from FY2019.

Department of Commerce

Two agencies of the Department of Commerce have major R&D programs: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

National Institute of Standards and Technology⁶⁷

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The mission of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is "to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life."⁶⁸76 NIST research provides measurement, calibration, and quality assurance methods and techniques that support U.S. commerce, technological progress, product reliability, manufacturing processes, and public safety. NIST's responsibilities include the development, maintenance, and custodial retention of the national standards of measurement; providing the means and methods for making measurements consistent with those standards; and ensuring the compatibility of U.S. national measurement standards with those of other nations.⁶⁹

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The President is requesting $686.8 million for NIST in FY2020, a decrease of $298.7 million (30.3%) from the FY2019 enacted appropriation of $985.5 million. (See Table 14.) NIST discretionary funding is provided through three accounts: Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS), Industrial Technology Services (ITS), and Construction of Research Facilities (CRF).

The President's FY2020 request includes $611.7 million for R&D, standards coordination, and related services in the STRS account, a decrease of $112.8 million (15.6%) from the FY2019 level.⁷⁰

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The FY2020 request would provide $15.2 million for the ITS account, down $139.8 million (90.2%) from FY2019. Within the ITS account, the request would provide no funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, a reduction of $140.0 million from FY2019; MEP centers in each state would be required to become entirely self-supporting. In his FY2019 request, President Trump proposed ending federal funding for MEP; in his FY2018 request, the President sought $6.0 million "for an orderly shutdown of the program." The request provides $15.2 million provided for Manufacturing USA (also referred to as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation or NNMI), slightly higher than the FY2019 level of $15.0 million. Of these funds, approximately $10 million would be for continued support of the NIST-sponsored National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), with the balance (approximately $5 million) to be used for coordination of the Manufacturing USA network.⁷¹

79

The President is requesting $59.9 million for the NIST CRF account for FY2020, down $46.1 million (43.5%) from the FY2019 enacted level.⁷²

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration⁷³

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts scientific research in areas such as ecosystems, climateatmosphere, global climate change, weather, and oceans; collects and provides data on the oceans and atmosphere; and manages coastal and marine organisms and environments. NOAA was created in 1970 by Reorganization Plan No. 4.⁷⁴82 The reorganization was intended to unify elements of the nation's environmental programs and to provide a systematic approach for monitoring, analyzing, and protecting the environment.

NOAA's administrative structure is organized byinto six line offices that reflect its diverse mission: the National Ocean Service (NOS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); National Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR); and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). The line offices are supported by an additional office, Mission Support, which provides cross-cutting administrative functions related to education, planning, information technology, human resources, and infrastructure. Congress provides most of the discretionary funding for the line offices and Mission Support through two accounts: (1) Operations, Research, and Facilities, and (2) Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction.

In 2010, NOAA published its Next Generation Strategic Plan.⁷⁵83 The strategic plan is organized into four categories of long-term goals including (1) climate adaptation and mitigation, (2) a weather-ready nation,⁷⁶84 (3) healthy oceans, and (4) resilient coastal communities and economies. The strategic plan also lists three groups of enterprise objectives related to (1) stakeholder engagement, (2) data and observations, and (3) integrated environmental modeling.⁷⁷85 The strategic plan serves as a guide for NOAA's five-year R&D plan. The most recent five-year R&D plan was published in 2013, and includes R&D objectives to reach strategic plan goals and objectives and targets to track progress toward R&D objectives over time.⁷⁸86 NOAA plans to release its newest R&D plan in 2019.⁸⁷

One of the main challenges identified in the 2013 NOAA R&D plan is the need to integrate the diverse perspectives and professional expertise required by the agency's mission. The plan states that "holistically understanding the earth system is not only understanding its individual components, but understanding and interpreting the way each of the components interact and behave as an integrated composite that is more than the sum of its parts."⁷⁹

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For FY2020, President Trump requested $651.1 million in R&D funding for NOAA, a decrease of $286.9 million (30.6%) below the FY2019 enacted level of $938.0 million. For FY2019, Congress enacted $540.3 million for research (57.6% of total R&D funding), $162.5 million for development (17.3%), and $235.2 million for R&D equipment (25.1%).⁸⁰89 The enacted FY2019 total R&D amount was 17.0% of NOAA's total discretionary budget authority of $5.509 billion.⁸¹3% of NOAA's discretionary appropriations of $5.425 billion.⁹⁰ In FY2020, the President is requesting $352.3 million for research (54.1% of total R&D funding), $106.3 million for development (16.3%), and $192.6 million for R&D equipment (29.6%).⁸²91 The President's request for total R&D is 14.1% of NOAA's total discretionary budget authority request of $4.622 billion.⁸³

Table 15 provides R&D funding levels for FY2019 enacted and the Administration's FY2020 request for each NOAA office.⁸⁴6% of the total requested discretionary appropriations of $4.466 billion.⁹²

In June 2019, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3055, which included appropriations for NOAA. The House agreed to $1.014 billion in R&D funding for NOAA, an increase of $76.4 million (8.1%) above the FY2019 enacted level of $938.0 million and an increase of $363.3 million (55.8%) over the FY2020 President's request.⁹³ H.R. 3055 would provide $605.9 million for research (59.7% of total R&D funding), $176.5 million for development (17.4%), and $232.1 million for R&D equipment (22.9%). The R&D amount is 18.5% of the bill's proposed discretionary appropriations of $5.489 billion for NOAA.⁹⁴

Table 15 provides R&D amounts enacted in FY2019, requested by the Administration for FY2020, and proposed in House-passed H.R. 3055 for each NOAA office.⁹⁵ OAR accounts for the majority of R&D in most years. The President is requesting $335.1 million for OAR R&D in FY2020, a decrease of $196.2 million (36.9%) below the FY2019 enacted funding level of $531.4 million.⁸⁵96 H.R. 3055 would provide $607.2 million for OAR R&D, an increase of $75.8 million (14.3%) from the FY2019 enacted amount and an increase of $272.0 million (81.2%) from the FY2020 request.⁹⁷

OAR conducts research in three major areas: (1) weather and air chemistry; (2) climate; and (3) oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes. A significant portion of these efforts is implemented through NOAA laboratories and cooperative research institutes. NOAA supports 16 cooperative research institutes and 10 NOAA laboratories in OAR's three3 research areas. The President's FY2020 request would fund the cooperative institutes and laboratories at $169.6 million, $13.1 million (7.2%) less than the FY2019 enacted funding level of $182.8 million.⁸⁶98 House-passed H.R. 3055 includes $191.6 million for NOAA laboratories and cooperative research institutes, an increase of $8.9 million (4.9%) from FY2019 enacted and $22.0 million (13.0%) from the FY2020 requested budget.⁹⁹

Among other R&D activities, the President's FY2019FY2020 request would also reduce funding to the National Sea Grant College Program. The National Sea Grant College Program is composed of 33 university-based state programs and supports scientific research and stakeholder engagement to identify and solve problems faced by coastal communities. The President's FY2020 request would terminate federal support of the National Sea Grant College Program and its related Marine Aquaculture Research program. In FY2019, Congress appropriated $68100 House-passed H.R. 3055 would provide $73.0 million to the National Sea Grant College Program, an increase of $5.0 million (7.4%) from the FY2019 enacted amount of $68.0 million, and $12.0 million to the Marine Aquaculture Research program.⁸⁷

, the same amount enacted in FY2019.¹⁰¹

Department of the Interior⁸⁸

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The Department of the Interior (DOI) was created to conserve and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage, to provide scientific and other information about those resources, and to uphold "the nation's trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper." DOI has a wide range of responsibilities including, among other things, mapping, geological, hydrological, and biological science; migratory bird, wildlife, and endangered species conservation; surface-mined lands protection and restoration; and historic preservation.⁸⁹

103

Because final FY2019 funding was not available at the time the FY2020 budget was prepared, requested R&D funding is compared to the FY2018 actual funding.

The Administration is requesting $12.6 billion in net discretionary funding for DOI in FY2020.⁹⁰104 Of that amount, $757 million is requested for R&D funding, $148 million (16.3%) below the FY2018 actual level of $905 million.⁹¹105 Of the President's FY2020 DOI R&D funding request, 8.9% is for basic research, 73.3% is for applied research, and 17.8% is for development. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the only DOI component that conducts basic research.⁹²

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Funding for DOI R&D is generally included in appropriations line items that also include non-R&D activities. How much of the funding provided in appropriations legislation is allocated to R&D specifically is unclear unless funding is provided at the precise level of the request. In general, R&D funding levels are known only after DOI components allocate their appropriations to specific activities and report those figures.

As passed by the House on June 25, 2019, the Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 3055) would provide a total of $13.8 billion in discretionary funding for DOI, $833 million above the 2019 enacted level and $2.4 billion above the request.¹⁰⁷ This amount includes both R&D and non-R&D funding.

U.S. Geological Survey

The USGS accounts for approximately two-thirds of all DOI R&D funding. A single appropriations account, Surveys, Investigations, and Research (SIR), provides all USGS funding. USGS R&D is conducted under seven SIR activity/program areas: Ecosystems; Land Resources; Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health; Natural Hazards; Water Resources; Core Science Systems; and Science Support.

The President's total FY2020 budget request for USGS is $984 million. Of this amount, $481 million would be for R&D, a decrease of $119 million (19.8%) from the FY2018 enacted level of $600 million.⁹³

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As passed by the House, H.R. 3055 would provide $1.236 billion for USGS, $252 million (26%) more than the FY2020 requested amount and $75.8 million (7%) more than the FY2019 enacted amount. This amount includes both R&D and non-R&D funding.

Other DOI Components

The President's FY2020 request also includes R&D funding for the following DOI components:⁹⁴

• 109Bureau of Reclamation (BOR): $84.0 million in applied research and development funding for FY2020, down $26.4 million (23.9%) from FY2018.
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM): $100.4 million in applied research and development funding for FY2020, up $22.1 million (28.2%) from FY2018—the only component that would receive an increase in R&D funding.
• Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS): $15.5 million in applied research for FY2020, down $17.2 million (52.5%) from FY2018.
• National Park Service (NPS): $25.9 million in applied research and development for FY2020, down $1.1 million (4.2%) from FY2018.
• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE): $24.5 million in applied research for FY2020, down $2.2 million (8.2%) from FY2018.
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM): $19.0 million in applied research and development for FY2020, down $1.9 million (9.0%) from FY2018.
• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): $5.0 million in applied research for FY2020, equal to the actual amount from FY2018.
• Wildland Fire Management (WFM): No funding requested for R&D for FY2020, down $3.0 million (100.0%) from FY2018.⁹⁵
110
• Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE): $1.5 million in applied research for FY2020, up $970,000 (190%) from FY2018.

Table 16 summarizes FY2018 actual R&D funding and the President's FY2020 R&D funding request for DOI components.

Department of Veterans Affairs⁹⁶111

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates and maintains a national health care delivery system to provide eligible veterans with medical care, benefits, and social support. As part of the agency's mission, it seeks to advance medical R&D in areas most relevant to the diseases and conditions that affect the health care needs of veterans.

The President is proposing $1.4 billion for VA R&D in FY2020, an increase of $12 million (1%) from FY2019. (See Table 17.) VA R&D is funded through two accounts—the Medical and Prosthetic Research account and the Medical Care Support account. The Medical Care Support account also includes non-R&D funding, and the amount of funding that will be allocated to support R&D through appropriations legislation is unclear unless funding is provided at the precise level of the request. In general, R&D funding levels from the Medical Care Support account are only known after the VA allocates its appropriations to specific activities and reports those figures. The Medical Care Support account provides administrative and other support for VA researchers and R&D projects, including infrastructure maintenance. The FY2020 request includes $762 million for VA's Medical and Prosthetic Research account, a decrease of $17 million (2%), and $648 million in funding for research supported by the agency's Medical Care Support account, an increase of $29 million (5%).

According to the President's request, FY2020 strategic priorities for VA R&D include increasing the access of veterans to clinical trials; increasing the transfer and translation of VA R&D; and "transforming VA data into a national resource" by reducing the time and effort needed to appropriately access, properly understand, and effectively use VA data for research. Clinical priorities for VA R&D in FY2020 include efforts to treat veterans at risk of suicide and research to address chronic pain and opioid addiction, posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and Gulf War illness.

The Medical and Prosthetics R&D program is an intramural program managed by the Veteran Health Administration's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and conducted at VA Medical Centers and VA-approved sites nationwide. According to ORD, the mission of VA R&D is "to improve Veterans' health and well-being via basic, translational, clinical, health services, and rehabilitative research and to apply scientific knowledge to develop effective individualized care solutions for Veterans."⁹⁷112 ORD consists of four main research services each headed by a director:

• Biomedical Laboratory R&D conducts preclinical research to understand life processes at the molecular, genomic, and physiological levels.
• Clinical Science R&D supports clinical trials and other human subjects research to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of new treatments such as drugs, therapies, or devices, compare existing therapies, and improve clinical care and practice.
• Health Services R&D conducts studies to identify and promote effective and efficient strategies to improve the quality and accessibility of the VA health system and patient outcomes, and to minimize health care costs.
• Rehabilitation R&D conducts research and develops novel approaches to improving the quality of life of impaired and disabled veterans.

In addition to intramural support, VA researchers are eligible to obtain funding for their research from extramural sources, including other federal agencies, private foundations and health organizations, and commercial entities. According to the President's FY2020 budget request, these additional R&D resources are estimated at $570 million in FY2020. However, unlike other federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, VA does not have the authority to support extramural R&D by providing research grants to colleges, universities, or other non-VA entities.

Table 17 summarizes R&D program funding for VA in the Medical and Prosthetic Research and the Medical Care Support accounts. Table 18 details amounts to be spent in Designated Research Areas (DRAs), which VA describes as "areas of importance to our veteran patient population." Funding for research projects that span multiple areas may be included in several DRAs; thus, the amounts in Table 18 total to more than the appropriation or request for VA R&D.

Department of Transportation⁹⁸

113

The Department of Transportation (DOT) was established by the Department of Transportation Act (P.L. 89-670) on October 15, 1966. The primary purposes of DOT research and development activities as defined by Section 6019 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (P.L. 114-94) are improving mobility of people and goods; reducing congestion; promoting safety; improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure; preserving the environment; and preserving the existing transportation system.

Funding for DOT R&D is generally included in appropriations line items that also include non-R&D activities. The amount of the funding provided by appropriations legislation that is allocated to R&D is unclear unless funding is provided at the precise level of the request. In general, R&D funding levels are known only after DOT agencies allocate their final appropriations to specific activities and report those figures.

The Administration is requesting $1.089 billion for DOT R&D activities and facilities in FY2020, a decrease of $5.8 million (0.5%) from FY2019. (See Table 19.) Three DOT agencies—the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—would account for over 90% of DOT R&D under the FY2020 request.

Federal Aviation Administration

The President's FY2020 request of $512.3 million for R&D activities and facilities at FAA would be an increase of $10.4 million (2.1%) from FY2019. The request includes $120 million for the agency's Research, Engineering, and Development (RE&D) account, a reduction of $71.1 million (37.2%) from FY2019. Funding within the RE&D account seeks to improve aircraft safety through research in fields such as fire safety, advanced materials, propulsion systems, aircraft icing, and continued airworthiness, in addition to safety research related to unmanned aircraft systems and the integration of commercial space operations into the national airspace.

Federal Highway Administration

According to the President's budget request

FHWA's contributions to researching and implementing transformative innovations and technologies are changing the way roads, bridges, and other facilities are planned, designed, built, managed, and maintained across the country to be more responsive to current and future needs.⁹⁹114

The President's request of $420 million for R&D activities and facilities at FHWA would be an increase of $39 million (10.2%) from FY2019. The request includes $125 million for FHWA's Highway Research and Development program, which seeks to improve safety, enhance the design and construction of transportation infrastructure, provide data and analysis for decision-making, and reduce congestion. The program supports highway research in such areas as the impact of automated driving systems, infrastructure durability, resilience, and environmental sustainability, and the factors that contribute to death and injury related to roadway design, construction, and maintenance. The request also includes $100 million for research to facilitate the development of a connected, integrated, and automated transportation system under the agency's Intelligent Transportation Systems program.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The President is requesting $62.1 million in R&D and R&D facilities funding in FY2020 for NHTSA, $13.8 million (18.2%) below FY2019. NHTSA R&D focuses on automation and the study of human machine interfaces, advanced vehicle safety technology, ways of improving vehicle crashworthiness and crash avoidance, reducing unsafe driving behaviors, and alternative fuels vehicle safety.

Other DOT Components

R&D activities are also supported by several other DOT components or agencies (see Table 19). The President's FY2020 request includes DOT R&D and R&D facilities funding for

• the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), totaling $23.1 million, $21.6 million (48.3%) below the FY2019 level of $44.6 million;
• the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), totaling $28 million, $2 million (6.7%) below the FY2019 level of $30 million;
• the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), totaling $21.5 million, $3 million (12.1%) below the FY2019 level of $24.5 million;
• the Office of the Secretary (OST), totaling $13.1 million, $14.8 million (53.2%) below the FY2019 level of $27.9 million; and
• the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), totaling $9.1 million, the same amount as FY2019.

Department of Homeland Security¹⁰⁰

115

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified five core missions: to prevent terrorism and enhance security, to secure and manage the borders, to enforce and administer immigration laws, to safeguard and secure cyberspace, and to ensure resilience to disasters. New technology resulting from research and development can contribute to achieving all these goals. The Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T) has primary responsibility for establishing, administering, and coordinating DHS R&D activities. Other components, such as the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Transportation Security Administration, conduct R&D relating to their specific missions.

The President's FY2020 budget request for DHS includes $438 million for activities identified as R&D. This would be a reduction of 31.6% from $640 million in FY2019. The total includes $303  million for the S&T Directorate and smaller amounts for six other DHS components. See Table 20.

The S&T Directorate performs R&D in several laboratories of its own and funds R&D performed by the DOE national laboratories, industry, universities, and others. It also conducts testing and other technology-related activities in support of acquisitions by other DHS components. The Administration's FY2020 request of $303 million for the S&T Directorate R&D account is a decrease of 40.7% from $511 million in FY2019. The request includes no funding for cybersecurity R&D ($89.1 million in FY2019), which would instead be conducted in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency ($31 million for R&D in the FY2020 request, up from $13 million in FY2019). The remaining thrust areas in the S&T Directorate's Research, Development, and Innovation budget line would all decrease, by amounts ranging from 12.1% (Counter Terrorist) to 40.4% (Border Security). Funding for University Centers of Excellence would decrease from $37 million in FY2019 to $18 million in FY2020.

In addition to its R&D account, the S&T Directorate receives funding for laboratory facilities and other R&D-related expenses through its Operations and Support account (not shown in the table). In this account, the FY2020 request for Laboratory Facilities is $116 million, down 4.9% from $122 million in FY2019. The Laboratory Facilities request includes no funding for the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, which the Administration proposes to close, or for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), which the S&T Directorate is building using previously appropriated funds but will transfer to the USDA once it becomes operational. Requested funding in Laboratory Facilities for the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) is $29 million, the same as in FY2019.

The request for R&D in the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office is $68 million, down from $83 million in FY2019.

Environmental Protection Agency¹⁰¹

116

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the federal regulatory agency responsible for administering a number of environmental pollution control laws, funds a broad range of R&D activities to provide scientific tools and knowledge that support decisions relating to preventing, regulating, and abating environmental pollution. Since FY2006, Congress has funded EPA through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations acts.

Appropriations for EPA R&D are generally included in line-items that also include non-R&D activities. Annual appropriations bills and the accompanying committee reports do not identify precisely how much funding provided in appropriations bills is allocated to EPA R&D alone. EPA determines its R&D funding levels in operation through allocating its appropriations to specific activities and reporting those amounts.

The agency's Science and Technology (S&T) appropriations account¹⁰²117 funds much of EPA's scientific research activities, which include R&D conducted by the agency at its own laboratories and facilities, and R&D and related scientific research conducted by universities, foundations, and other nonfederal entities that receive EPA grants. The S&T account receives a base appropriation and a transfer from the Hazardous Substance Superfund (Superfund) account for research on more effective methods remediating contaminated sites.

EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the primary manager of R&D at EPA headquarters and laboratories around the country, as well as external R&D. A large portion of the S&T account funds EPA R&D activities managed by ORD, including research grants. Programs implemented by other offices within EPA also may have a research component, but the research component is not necessarily the primary focus of the program.

As with the President's FY2019 budget request, the FY2020 request proposes reductions and eliminations of funding for FY2020 across a number of EPA programs and activities. The President's FY2020 request includes a total of $6.07 billion for EPA,¹⁰³ $2.78 billion (31%) less than the total $8.85 billion FY2019 enacted appropriations for EPA (after rescissions) provided in Titles II and IV of Division E of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY2019 (P.L. 116-6), and $123.4 million (2%) less than the FY2019 request of $6.19 billion for EPA. The reductions proposed in the FY2020 request arepassed by the House on June 25, 2019, Division C of H.R. 3055, includes the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.¹¹⁸ Title II of Division C in H.R. 3055 would provide $9.53 billion for EPA for FY2020, $3.31 billion (53.1%) above the FY2020 request of $6.22 billion and $264.2 million (28.5%) more than the FY2019 total enacted appropriations of $9.26 billion, after rescissions of unobligated balances. H.R. 3055 does not include specific rescissions of unobligated balances for EPA as in recent proposed and enacted appropriations. Title II of Division C in H.R. 3055 would provide $727.6 million for FY2020 for the EPA S&T account (no rescission of unobligated balances) and a $30.5 million transfer from the Superfund account. The total $758.1 million for S&T included in H.R. 3055 would be a $36.2 million (5.0%) increase above the FY2019 enacted total of $722.0 million which includes a $15.5 million transfer and $11.3 million account specific rescission,¹¹⁹ and $277.3 million (57.7%) more than the total request of $480.8 million including a $17.8 million transfer.¹²⁰ The President's FY2020 request proposed a rescission for EPA across-the-board but did not specify a rescission within the S&T or other appropriations accounts.¹²¹ This accounting difference does not allow for direct comparisons of funding within EPA's S&T account including specific rescissions. As with the President's FY2019 budget request, the FY2020 request proposed reductions and eliminations of funding for FY2020 across a number of EPA programs and activities, including within the S&T account. The reductions proposed in the FY2020 request were distributed across EPA operational functions and activities as well as grants for states, tribes, and local governments. With the exception of the Building and Facilities account, the President's FY2020 request proposesproposed funding reductions below FY2019 enacted levels for the nine other EPA appropriations accounts, although funding for some program areas within the accounts would remain constant or increase. Some Members of Congress expressed concerns regarding proposed reductions of funding for EPA scientific research programs during hearings on the President's FY2020 budget request.¹⁰⁴

Including a $17.8 million transfer from the Superfund account, the President's FY2020 budget request proposes $480.8 million for EPA's S&T account, ¹⁰⁵ $241.1 million (33.4%) less than the FY2019 enacted $722.0 million which includes a $15.5 million transfer and $11.3 million account specific rescissions.¹⁰⁶ The FY2020 request would provide an increase (3.1%) compared to the FY2019 request of $466.4 million, which includes a $17.4 million transfer. The President's FY2020 request proposes a rescission for EPA but does not specify a rescission within the S&T or other appropriations accounts.¹⁰⁷ This accounting difference does not allow for direct comparisons of funding within EPA's S&T account including specific rescissions.

Table 21 at the end of this section includes the President's FY2020 request for program areas and activities within EPA's S&T account as presented in EPA's FY2020 Congressional Budget Justification compared to the FY2019 enacted appropriations as reported in the Conference Report (H.Rept. 116-9) accompanying the FY2019 consolidated appropriations that includes the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations.¹⁰⁸

Consistent with other recent House and Senate Appropriations Committee reports and explanatory statements, the conference report H.Rept. 116-9 accompanying the FY2019 enacted appropriations did not specify funding for all subprogram areas reported in EPA's budget justification122 Similar to the FY2019 enacted appropriations, H.R. 3055 generally did not support many of the proposed reductions and eliminations of funding for EPA, including proposed reductions in funding for scientific research programs. Table 21 at the end of this section includes amounts proposed in H.R. 3055 and the President's FY2020 request for program areas and activities within EPA's S&T account compared to the FY2019 enacted appropriations as reported in the Conference Report (H.Rept. 116-9) accompanying the FY2019 consolidated appropriations.¹²³ Funding below the account the level for the House proposed FY2020 appropriations are as reported in Title II of H.Rept. 116-100 accompanying H.R. 3052, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations, 2020 as reported June 3, 2019, which provides the foundation for the funding levels for EPA included in H.R. 3055. The total for EPA's S&T included in Division C of H.R. 3055 as passed is the same as the total for EPA S&T included in of H.R. 3052 as reported. The amounts for the President's request are as presented in EPA's FY2020 Congressional Budget Justification.¹²⁴ House and Senate Appropriations Committee reports and explanatory statements accompanying recent fiscal year EPA proposed and enacted appropriations have not specified funding for all subprogram areas reported in EPA's budget justifications. S&T subprogram areas not reported in congressional reports and statements are noted in the Table 21 as "NR" (not reported). Additionally, the President's FY2018, FY2019, and FY2020 requests and EPA's congressional budget justifications have modified the titles for some of the program areas relative to previous Administrations' budget requests and congressional committee reports' presentations. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have generally adopted the modified program area titles as presented in the recent budget requests.

During House and Senate Committee hearings regarding the President's FY2020 budget request for EPA,¹⁰⁹ Members generally did not support a number of the proposed reductions and eliminations of funding for EPA, including proposed reductions in funding for scientific research programs. Reductions proposed in the FY2020 budget request below the FY2019 enacted levels were distributed across EPA operational functions and activities as well as grants for states, tribes, and local governments.

As shown in Table 21, with few exceptions the requested FY2020 amount. As shown in Table 21, FY2020 amounts for the S&T account for individual EPA program area and activity line items would be lessthe same or more than the FY2019 enacted appropriations in most instances, and with few exceptions an increase above the FY2020 requested levels. The FY2020 request did not propose to completely eliminate funding for the broader program areas within the account; however, eliminations (no funding is requested for FY2020) arewere proposed for line-item activities below the program areas as indicated in Table 21. These program areas include

• activities includedAtmospheric Protection Program (formerly GHG [greenhouse gas] Reporting Program and Climate Protection Program),
• Indoor Air Radon Program, and
• Reduce Risks from Indoor Air.

For other program areas, proposed reductions in requested funding included eliminations of certain EPA programs. For example, the proposed reduction in funding for Research: Air and Energy, Research: Safe and Sustainable Water Resources, Research: Sustainable and Healthy Communities, and Research: Chemical Safety and Sustainability program areas for FY2020¹¹⁰125 included the proposed elimination of funding for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program.¹¹¹

126 H.R. 3055 would provide $6

P.L. 116-6 included $5.0 million for Research: National Priorities within the S&T account for FY2019,¹¹²FY2020,¹²⁷ an increase compared to $4.15.0 million included for FY2018FY2019. As in the previous Administration's fiscal year requests, the President's FY2020 budget request did not include funding for Research: National Priorities.¹¹³

128

In addition to clarifying certain funding allocations within the S&T account and consistent with the prior fiscal year appropriations committee reports and explanatory statements, H.Rept. 116-9 provided100 accompanying H.R. 3052, as reported, included additional guidance for certain program areas and activities within the S&T account for FY2019. ¹²⁹ Topics expressly referenced included

Alternative Testing;

Computational Toxicology;

Enhanced Aquifer Use;

Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS);

Nanomaterials Research;

Innovative Research Partnerships;

Intramural Animal TestingMaximum Contaminate Levels for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter;

Computational Toxicology;

Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS);

Risk Assessment for Susceptible Subpopulations;

Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Grants;

Harmful Algal Blooms;

Water Distribution Systems; and

Water Security Test Beds.¹¹⁴

;

Environmental Impact of Sunscreens;

Animal Emissions from Animal Operations; and

• Enhanced Aquifer Use.

The size and structure of the agency's workforce, as was the case during consideration for the FY2018 and FY2019 appropriations, has beenwas a topic of debate during congressional committee hearings regarding EPA's FY2020 appropriations.¹¹⁵130 Workforce reshaping was introduced in the FY2018 request and described as agency-wide organizational restructuring, "reprioritization of agency activities," and reallocation of resources.¹¹⁶131 The FY2020 request for the Operations and Administration program area within the S&T account includesincluded $6.0 million for agency workforce reshaping and efforts to improve the management of EPA's laboratories.¹¹⁷ As with the FY2018 enacted appropriations, P.L. 116-6 did not fund the President's FY2019 request for EPA workforce reshaping for FY2019132 Similar to FY2018 and FY2019 enacted appropriations, in H.Rept. 116-100 accompanying H.R. 3052 as reported, no funds would be provided for the proposed EPA workforce reshaping activities requested within the S&T account.

EPA's reported proposed reorganizing strategies, potentially impacting certain aspects of EPA's Office of Research Development (ORD) and the operations of the EPA Office of the Science Advisor (OSA), as well as current EPA laboratories including the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), and the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), have also beenalso were of interest to some Members of Congress.¹¹⁸

133

Appendix A. Acronyms and Abbreviations

Appendix B. CRS Contacts for Agency R&D

The following table lists the primary CRS experts on R&D funding for the agencies covered in this report.