Congressional Action on FY2015
Appropriations Measures
Jessica Tollestrup
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
December 18, 2014
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R43776
Congressional Action on FY2015 Appropriations Measures
Summary
The congressional appropriations process, which provides discretionary spending for federal
government agencies, assumes the annual enactment of 12 regular appropriations bills prior to the
beginning of the fiscal year (October 1). One or more continuing resolutions (CRs) may be
enacted if all regular appropriations bills are not completed by that time. This report provides
information on the budget enforcement framework for the consideration of FY2015
appropriations measures, the status of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills as of the beginning
of the fiscal year, and the enactment of FY2015 continuing appropriations.
Budget enforcement for discretionary spending under the congressional budget process has two
primary sources. The first is the discretionary spending limits that are derived from the Budget
Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25). The FY2015 levels for those limits are about $521.3
billion for defense spending and $492.4 billion for nondefense spending. The second source is the
limits associated with the budget resolution on both total discretionary spending and spending
under the jurisdiction of each of the appropriations subcommittees. However, Congress has not
adopted a FY2015 budget resolution and has instead used an alternative mechanism for budget
enforcement that was enacted as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (P.L. 113-67). On the
basis of this mechanism, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees received the total
allocation for spending under their jurisdictions, and each reported 302(b) suballocations to its
subcommittees prior to floor consideration of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills.
In the course of the FY2015 appropriations process, the House Appropriations Committee
reported all but one of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2015. The House separately
considered 8 regular appropriations bills on the floor and passed 7 of them. The Senate
Appropriations Committee reported 8 of the 12 regular appropriations bills. Although the Senate
began floor consideration of one of these bills, it did not complete it. The Senate did not
separately consider any other regular FY2015 appropriations bills prior to the beginning of the
fiscal year.
Because none of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills were to be enacted by the beginning of
the fiscal year, a CR (H.J.Res. 124; P.L. 113-164) was enacted on September 19, 2014. This CR
generally extended funding at last year’s levels, with a small across-the-board reduction and
certain enumerated exceptions, through December 11, 2014. Two additional CRs were enacted to
extend temporary funding for all 12 regular appropriations bills through December 13 and
December 17 (P.L. 113-202 and P.L. 113-203, respectively).
The regular appropriations process for 11 of the 12 regular appropriations bills was concluded on
December 16, 2014, when the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015
(H.R. 83, Divisions A-K) was enacted. A fourth CR was enacted as Division L of H.R. 83 to
extend temporary funding for the Department of Homeland Security only through February 27,
2015.
This report will be updated during the FY2015 appropriations process as developments warrant.
For information on the current status of FY2015 appropriations measures, see the CRS
Appropriations Status Table: FY2015, at http://www.crs.gov/Pages/
AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx.
Congressional Research Service
Congressional Action on FY2015 Appropriations Measures
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Discretionary Spending Budget Enforcement ................................................................................. 3
Enforcement of the FY2015 Discretionary Spending Limits .................................................... 3
Enforcement of Discretionary Spending Associated with the Budget Resolution .................... 4
Regular Appropriations .................................................................................................................... 5
House Action ............................................................................................................................. 6
Committee ........................................................................................................................... 6
Floor .................................................................................................................................... 7
Status of Statutory Discretionary Budget Enforcement Prior to the Beginning of
the Fiscal Year .................................................................................................................. 8
Senate Action ............................................................................................................................. 8
Committee ........................................................................................................................... 8
Floor .................................................................................................................................. 10
Status of Statutory Discretionary Budget Enforcement Prior to the Beginning of
the Fiscal Year ................................................................................................................ 10
The FY2015 Consolidated Act (H.R. 83, Divisions A through K) .......................................... 11
Continuing Resolutions.................................................................................................................. 12
H.J.Res. 124 (P.L. 113-164) ..................................................................................................... 12
H.J.Res. 130 (P.L. 113-202) and H.J.Res. 131 (P.L. 113-203)................................................. 13
H.R. 83, Division L ................................................................................................................. 14
Tables
Table 1. FY2015 Regular Appropriations Bills: House Appropriations Committee Action ............ 6
Table 2. FY2015 Regular Appropriations Bills: House Initial Consideration ................................. 7
Table 3. FY2015 Regular Appropriations Bills: Senate Appropriations Committee Action ........... 9
Table 4. CBO Estimate of H.R. 83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2015, Divisions A-L ................................................................................... 12
Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 14
Congressional Research Service
Congressional Action on FY2015 Appropriations Measures
Introduction
Congress uses an annual appropriations1 process to provide discretionary spending for federal
government agencies.2 The responsibility for drafting legislation to provide such spending is
currently divided among 12 appropriations subcommittees in each chamber, each of which is
tasked with reporting a regular appropriations bill to cover all programs under its jurisdiction.
The timetable currently associated with this process requires the enactment of these regular
appropriations bills prior to the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1). If regular appropriations
are not enacted by that deadline, one or more continuing resolutions (CRs) may be enacted to
provide funds until all regular appropriations bills are completed or the fiscal year ends.3 During
the fiscal year, supplemental appropriations may also be enacted to provide funds in addition to
those in regular appropriations acts or CRs. Amounts provided in these appropriations acts are
subject to limits, both procedural and statutory, which are enforced through respective
mechanisms such as points of order and sequestration.
The timing and focus of the FY2015 appropriations process was affected at the outset by at least
three significant factors. First, the enactment of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (P.L. 113-67)
provided set levels for the FY2015 statutory discretionary spending limits on defense and
nondefense spending. It also provided an alternative basis for procedural budget enforcement in
the absence of a budget resolution.4 This agreement was enacted on December 26, 2013, about
nine months ahead of FY2015. At about the time of its enactment, some observers asserted that
the earliness with which funding levels had been provided could contribute to the enactment of
some or all of the FY2015 appropriations bills before the fiscal year began.5 In addition, in
establishing levels for defense and nondefense spending, some observers suggested that the
debate over FY2015 appropriations would be focused on the specifics of funding various
agencies and programs instead of on overall levels of budgetary resources.6
1 An appropriation is a type of budget authority. Budget authority is authority provided by federal law to enter into
contracts or other financial obligations that will result in immediate or future expenditures (or outlays) involving
federal government funds. For a further explanation of these terms, see U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO),
A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process, GAO-05-734SP, September 2005, pp. 20-22, 73-74,
available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05734sp.pdf.
2 The congressional budget process distinguishes between discretionary spending, which is controlled through
appropriations acts, and direct (or mandatory) spending, which is controlled through permanent law. In FY2014,
discretionary spending comprised an estimated 33.3% of federal government spending (Congressional Budget Office
[CBO], Updated Budget Projections: Fiscal Years 2014 to 2024, August, 2014, Table 1-1, available at
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/45653-OutlookUpdate_2014_Aug.pdf). The annual appropriations process also
provides appropriations necessary to finance certain direct spending programs that lack a funding source in their
authorizing statutes. Such appropriated mandatory or appropriated entitlement spending is discussed in CRS Report
RS20129, Entitlements and Appropriated Entitlements in the Federal Budget Process, by Bill Heniff Jr.
3 Continuing appropriations acts are often referred to as continuing resolutions because they usually provide continuing
appropriations in the form of a joint resolution rather than a bill. Continuing appropriations also are occasionally
provided through a bill.
4 The aspects of the Bipartisan Budget Act that affected FY2015 budget enforcement are discussed later in this report
(see “Discretionary Spending Budget Enforcement“).
5 See, for example, Tamar Hallerman, “Number in Hand, Appropriators to Start New Year with Omnibus,” CQ News,
December 10, 2013.
6 See, for example, Paul M. Krawzak, “Implementing Budget Pact Will Put Major Debates for 2015 in Motion.” CQ
News, December 17, 2013.
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Congressional Action on FY2015 Appropriations Measures
The second and third significant factors that affected the start of the FY2015 appropriations
process were the late enactment of FY2014 regular appropriations and the delays in the
President’s budget submission to Congress. Regular appropriations for FY2014 were not enacted
until January 17, 2014, more than three months after the beginning of the fiscal year.7 The
President’s budget submission followed about six weeks later, roughly one month after it was
due.8 The bulk of the submission occurred on March 4, with additional details provided the
following week.9 The Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT)
portion of the submission was not provided until June 26.10 In response to these delays, the House
and Senate Appropriations Committees conducted hearings on a condensed schedule to allow
committee action on the draft appropriations bills to begin during the months of April and May.11
None of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills were enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year.
The House Appropriations Committee reported 11 of the 12 regular appropriations bills, and the
House passed 7 of these. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported 8 of the regular bills.
Although one of them received floor consideration, none have been passed by the Senate.
Consequently, on September 19, 2014, a FY2015 CR (P.L. 113-164) was enacted into law to
provide temporary funding through December 11, 2014.12 Two further extensions of this CR were
enacted to provide temporary funding for all 12 regular appropriations bills through December 13
and December 17 (P.L. 113-202 and P.L. 113-203, respectively). On December 16, 2014, regular
appropriations for 11 out of the 12 regular appropriations bills were enacted as part of the
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (Divisions A through K of H.R. 83; the
FY2015 Consolidated Act). A fourth CR was also enacted in Division L of H.R. 83 to extend
temporary funding for the Department of Homeland Security through February 27, 2015.
This report provides background and analysis on congressional action related to the FY2015
appropriations process. The first section discusses the status of discretionary budget enforcement
for FY2015, including the statutory spending limits and allocations normally associated with the
congressional budget resolution. The second section provides information on the consideration
and enactment of regular appropriations and an overview of aggregate discretionary spending.
The third section discusses the legislative action on FY2015 CRs and associated budget
enforcement considerations.
7 Regular appropriations for FY2014 were enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76).
8 The President’s budget submission is due the first Monday in February. For information on the timing of the
President’s budget submission in recent years, see CRS Report R43163, The President’s Budget: Overview of Structure
and Timing of Submission to Congress, by Michelle D. Christensen.
9 For the FY2015 budget submission, the main budget volume, key proposals, summary tables, and appendix were
submitted on March 4, 2014. The analytical perspectives and historical tables were submitted on March 10, 2014. The
delay in the submission was attributed to the late completion of FY2014 regular appropriations (Paul M. Krawzak,
“OMB Says Fiscal 2015 Budget Coming in Stages,” CQ News, February 12, 2014).
10 The Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT) portion of the President’s budget
submission includes requested budgetary resources to fund costs associated with overseas operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The delay in this portion of the submission was attributed to the uncertain scope of future war-related
operations in Afghanistan (Frank Oliveri, “Pentagon to Delay War Funding Request until Afghan Troop Decision is
Final,” CQ News, March 13, 2014).
11 Tamar Hallerman, “Appropriators Outline Ambitious Schedule for Enacting Spending Bills,” CQ News, March 6,
2014; David Rogers, “The Boys and Girls of Summer,” Politico, April 3, 2014.
12 For information on the current status of FY2015 appropriations measures, see the CRS Appropriations Status Table:
FY2015, at http://www.crs.gov/Pages/AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx.
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Further information with regard to the FY2015 regular appropriations bills is provided in the
various CRS reports that analyze and compare the components of the current House and Senate
proposals.13
Discretionary Spending Budget Enforcement
The framework for budget enforcement of discretionary spending under the congressional budget
process has both statutory and procedural elements. The statutory elements are the discretionary
spending limits derived from the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25). The procedural
elements are primarily associated with the budget resolution and limit both total discretionary
spending and spending under the jurisdiction of each appropriations subcommittee.
Enforcement of the FY2015 Discretionary Spending Limits
The BCA imposes separate limits on defense and nondefense discretionary spending for each of
the fiscal years from FY2012 through FY2021. The defense category includes all discretionary
spending under budget function 050 (defense); the nondefense category includes discretionary
spending in all other budget functions.14 Enacted discretionary spending may not exceed these
limits,15 which are enforceable through sequestration.16 The Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) evaluates enacted discretionary spending relative to the spending limits and determines if
sequestration is necessary to enforce either or both of them. For FY2015 discretionary spending,
the first such evaluation and any necessary enforcement are to occur within 15 calendar days after
the 2014 congressional session adjourns sine die.17 For any FY2015 discretionary spending that
13 These reports include CRS Report R43669, Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2015 Appropriations, coordinated
by Jim Monke; CRS Report R43509, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2015 Appropriations,
coordinated by Nathan James, Jennifer D. Williams, and John F. Sargent Jr.; CRS Report R43567, Energy and Water
Development: FY2015 Appropriations, coordinated by Mark Holt; CRS Report R43796, Department of Homeland
Security: FY2015 Appropriations, coordinated by William L. Painter; CRS Report R43617, Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies: FY2015 Appropriations, by Carol Hardy Vincent; CRS Report R43557, Legislative Branch: FY2015
Appropriations, by R. Eric Petersen and Ida A. Brudnick; CRS Report R43569, State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs: FY2015 Budget and Appropriations, by Susan B. Epstein, Alex Tiersky, and Marian L. Lawson; CRS
Report R43582, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2015
Appropriations, by Libby Perl and David Randall Peterman; CRS Report R43547, Veterans’ Medical Care: FY2015
Appropriations, by Sidath Viranga Panangala.
14 For further information with regard to budget functions, see CRS Report 98-280, Functional Categories of the
Federal Budget, by Bill Heniff Jr.
15 There is certain spending that is effectively exempt from these statutory discretionary spending limits pursuant to
Section 251(b) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (BBEDCA). This includes budget authority
designated as emergency requirements, OCO/GWOT, disaster relief, or budget authority for certain program integrity
initiatives.
16 Sequestration involves the automatic cancellation of budget authority through largely across-the-board reductions of
nonexempt programs and activities. Procedures for discretionary spending sequestration are provided by the BBEDCA,
as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). For further information about these procedures, see CRS Report
R41965, The Budget Control Act of 2011, by Bill Heniff Jr., Elizabeth Rybicki, and Shannon M. Mahan.
17 BBEDCA, §251(a)(1). In general, an adjournment sine die terminates an annual session of Congress. Unless
otherwise specified by law, the latest this adjournment can occur is January 3, 2015. For further information with
regard to sine die adjournments of a congressional session, see CRS Report R42977, Sessions, Adjournments, and
Recesses of Congress, by Richard S. Beth and Jessica Tollestrup.
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becomes law after the session ends, evaluation and any enforcement of the limits are to occur 15
days after enactment.18
To achieve additional budgetary savings, the BCA as originally enacted included procedures to
lower the amount of the initial spending limits for each of the fiscal years from FY2014 through
FY2021.19 However, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 amended the BCA to set the FY2014 and
FY2015 limits at specific levels.20 The limits for FY2015 discretionary spending are $521.272
billion for defense spending and $492.356 billion for nondefense spending.
Enforcement of Discretionary Spending Associated with the
Budget Resolution
The procedural elements of budget enforcement generally stem from requirements under the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) that are associated with the adoption of an annual
budget resolution.21 Through this CBA process, the Appropriations Committee in each chamber
receives a procedural limit on the total amount of discretionary budget authority for the upcoming
fiscal year, referred to as a 302(a) allocation.22 The Appropriations Committee subsequently
divides this allocation among the 12 subcommittees, referred to as a 302(b) suballocation.23 The
302(b) suballocation restricts the amount of budget authority available to each subcommittee for
the agencies, projects, and activities under its jurisdiction, effectively acting as a cap on each of
the 12 regular appropriations bills. Enforcement of the 302(a) allocation and 302(b)
suballocations occurs through points of order.24
As of the date of this report, Congress has not adopted a FY2015 budget resolution. The House
agreed to a budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 96) on April 10, 2014, and the measure was placed on
the Senate calendar the following day.25 No further action occurred. The Senate did not consider a
budget resolution for FY2015.
18 BBEDCA, §251(a)(6).
19 The lowering of the limits each fiscal year was triggered when the joint committee process provided for in the BCA
did not result in the enactment of legislation to achieve a targeted level of spending reductions. The procedures for
reducing these limits are in §251A of the BBEDCA. For a description of these procedures, see Office of Management
and Budget (OMB), OMB Sequestration Preview Report to the President and Congress for Fiscal Year 2015, March
10, 2014, pp. 3-5, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/legislative_reports/
sequestration/sequestration_preview_report_march2014.pdf.
20 P.L. 113-67, Division A, §101(a)(1) and (b).
21 P.L. 93-344; 88 Stat. 297; 2 USC 601-688. Procedural budget enforcement may also be established through other
methods, such as through provisions in the budget resolution.
22 Congressional Budget Act, §302(a).
23 Ibid., §302(b).
24 Primarily, the Appropriations Committee allocations are enforced through points of order under the Congressional
Budget Act §302(f) and §311. Enforcement of the statutory spending caps may occur through points of order that are
raised during House or Senate floor consideration, under the Congressional Budget Act, §314(f) (in the House and
Senate) or 312(b) (in the Senate only). For further information with regard to points of order in the congressional
budget process, see CRS Report 97-865, Points of Order in the Congressional Budget Process, by James V. Saturno.
25 In the House Budget Committee report accompanying H.Con.Res. 96, the 302(a) allocation to the House
Appropriations Committee was $1.0137 trillion, which was the total of the statutory discretionary spending limits
(H.Rept. 113-403, p. 139). The House version of the budget resolution further assumed a breakdown between defense
and nondefense discretionary spending that complied with the limits applicable to each category (p. 13).
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Both the House and Senate have used an alternative mechanism for FY2015 procedural budget
enforcement that was enacted as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act.26 Section 115 of that act
provided the chair of the House Budget Committee the authority to enter a statement into the
Congressional Record between April 15, 2014, and May 15, 2014, that included an allocation for
the House Appropriations Committee. This allocation was required to be consistent with the
FY2015 discretionary spending limits. Section 116 provided similar authority to the Senate
Budget Committee chair. Once filed, the allocation would be enforceable as if it had been
associated with a budget resolution adopted by Congress. The House statement was filed in the
Congressional Record on April 29; the Senate statement was filed on May 5.27
Based upon the budget enforcement provided via this alternative mechanism, the House and
Senate Appropriations Committees each reported 302(b) suballocations to their subcommittees
prior to floor consideration of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills. In the House, interim
suballocations were reported on April 29 for two subcommittees—Legislative Branch and
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.28 These were later superseded by allocations for all 12
subcommittees on May 19.29 In the Senate, 302(b) suballocations were reported on May 22.30
Regular Appropriations
The House and Senate currently provide annual appropriations in 12 regular appropriations bills.
Each of these bills may be considered and enacted separately, but it is also possible for two or
more of them to be combined into an omnibus vehicle for consideration and enactment.31
Alternatively, if some of these bills are not enacted, funding for the projects and activities therein
may be provided through a full-year CR.32 None of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills were
enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year, October 1, 2014. Final action for 11 out of the 12
regular appropriations bills occurred with the enactment of the Consolidated and Further
Continuing Appropriations Act (Divisions A through K of H.R. 83; the FY2015 Consolidated Act)
on December 16, 2014.
26 For further information, see CRS Report R43535, Provisions in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 as an Alternative
to a Traditional Budget Resolution, by Megan S. Lynch.
27 “Publication of Budgetary Material,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 160, no. 62 (April 29, 2014), pp.
H3288-H3289; “Budget Committee Submissions,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 160, no. 66 (May 5,
2014), pp. S2641-S2642.
28 H.Rept. 113-425. In the House Appropriations Committee report on the interim suballocations, the committee
explained that the other 10 suballocations were delayed because the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) updated
baseline and reestimate of the President’s budget were not yet available (p. 2).
29 H.Rept. 113-454. The House Appropriations Committee reported further revisions to these suballocations on June
17, 2014 (H.Rept. 113-474).
30 These Senate Appropriations Committee suballocations were revised on June 17 (S.Rept. 113-193), July 29 (S.Rept.
113-222), August 5 (S.Rept. 113-241), and December 12, 2014 (S.Rept. 113-312).
31 For further information with regard to omnibus appropriations acts, CRS Report RL32473, Omnibus Appropriations
Acts: Overview of Recent Practices, by Jessica Tollestrup.
32 Full-year CRs provide budget authority through the end of the fiscal year. For background on full-year CRs, see CRS
Report R42647, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Recent Practices, by Jessica Tollestrup.
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House Action
Committee
Table 1 lists the 12 regular appropriations bills, along with the associated date of subcommittee
approval, date reported to the House, and report number. Subcommittee and full committee action
on approving and reporting regular appropriations bills occurred over about a 16-week period. In
total, 11 regular appropriations bills were approved by subcommittees and reported to the House
by the House Appropriations Committee.
The first regular appropriations bills to be approved in subcommittee were the Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R. 4486) and the
Legislative Branch appropriations bill (H.R. 4487), both on April 3, 2014. This was reportedly the
earliest that a House appropriations subcommittee had approved a regular appropriations bill in
several decades.33 Those same bills were also the first regular appropriations bills to be reported
to the House, which occurred on April 17. In total, three regular appropriations bills were
approved by their respective subcommittees during the month of April, four in May, three in June,
and one in July. Of these, the House Appropriations Committee reported two in each of April and
May, five in June, and the remaining two in July. The final bill reported to the House was the
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R. 5171),
on July 23.
Table 1. FY2015 Regular Appropriations Bills: House Appropriations
Committee Action
Regular Appropriations
Bill Titlea (Bill
Date of Subcommittee
Date Bill Reported to
Number)
Approval
the House
Report No.
MCVA (H.R. 4486)
April 3, 2014
April 17, 2014
H.Rept. 113-416
LB (H.R. 4487)
April 3, 2014
April 17, 2014
H.Rept. 113-417
CJS (H.R. 4660)
April 30, 2014
May 15, 2014
H.Rept. 113-448
THUD (H.R. 4745)
May 7, 2014
May 27, 2014
H.Rept. 113-464
AG (H.R. 4800)
May 20, 2014
June 4, 2014
H.Rept. 113-468
DHS (H.R. 4903)
May 28, 2014
June 19, 2014
H.Rept. 113-481
DOD (H.R. 4870)
May 30, 2014
June 13, 2014
H.Rept. 113-473
EW (H.R. 4923)
June 10, 2014
June 20, 2014
H.Rept. 113-486
SFO (H.R. 5013)
June 17, 2014
June 27, 2014
H.Rept. 113-499
FSGG (H.R. 5016)
June 18, 2014
July 2, 2014
H.Rept. 113-508
INT (H.R. 5171)
July 9, 2014
July 23, 2014
H.Rept. 113-551
LHHS (NA)
—
—
—
Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS) analysis of data available through the Legislative Information
System (LIS; lis.gov) and the CRS FY2015 Appropriations Status Table (http://www.crs.gov/pages/
AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx).
33 Connor O’Brien, “Panel Backs Military Construction-VA Spending Bill,” CQ Markup & Vote Coverage, April 2014.
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a. AG = Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies;
CJS = Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; DOD = Department of Defense; EW = Energy
and Water Development and Related Agencies; FSGG = Financial Services and General Government;
DHS = Department of Homeland Security; INT = Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies; LHHS = Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies;
LB = Legislative Branch; MCVA = Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies;
SFO = Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; THUD = Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
Of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2015, only one was not reported to the House. The
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies
appropriations bill was neither approved by the subcommittee nor considered by the full
committee.
Floor
Table 2 presents the eight regular appropriations bills that were considered on the House floor,
along with the date consideration was initiated, the date consideration was concluded, and the
vote on final passage. Such consideration occurred over about an 11-week period.
Table 2. FY2015 Regular Appropriations Bills: House Initial Consideration
Regular Appropriations
Bill Titlea (Bill
Date Consideration
Date Consideration
Number)
Initiatedb
Concluded
Vote on Final Passage
MCVA (H.R. 4486)
April 30, 2014
April 30, 2014
416-1
LB (H.R. 4487)
May 1, 2014
May 1, 2014
402-14
CJS (H.R. 4660)
May 28, 2014
May 30, 2014
321-87
THUD (H.R. 4745)
June 9, 2014
June 10, 2014
229-192
AG (H.R. 4800)
June 11, 2014
—
—
DOD (H.R. 4870)
June 18, 2014
June 20, 2014
340-73
EW (H.R. 4923)
July 9, 2014
July 10, 2014
253-170
FSGG (H.R. 5016)
July 14, 2014
July 16, 2014
228-195
Source: CRS analysis of data available through LIS and the CRS FY2015 Appropriations Status Table
(http://www.crs.gov/pages/AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx).
a. AG = Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies;
CJS = Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; DOD = Department of Defense; EW = Energy
and Water Development and Related Agencies; FSGG = Financial Services and General Government;
LB = Legislative Branch; MCVA = Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies;
THUD = Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
b. In each instance, consideration was initiated after the adoption of a special rule providing for the terms of
debate and amendment. For MCVA (H.R. 4486), CJS (H.R. 4660), and THUD (H.R. 4745), consideration
was initiated by an open rule. For LB (H.R. 4487), consideration was initiated by a structured rule. For the
remaining 4 bills, AG (H.R. 4800), DOD (H.R. 4870), EW (H.R. 4923), and FSGG (H.R. 5016), consideration
was initiated by a modified-open rule, which generally limited debate on each amendment to 10 minutes.
For further information on the initial consideration of appropriations bills on the House floor, see CRS
Report R42933, Regular Appropriations Bills: Terms of Initial Consideration and Amendment in the House, FY1996-
FY2015, by Jessica Tollestrup.
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The first bill to be considered on the House floor was the Military Construction and Veterans
Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R. 4486). Consideration was initiated on
April 30, and the House passed the bill on the same day by a vote of 416-1. The House
considered and passed two bills during the month of May and two in June. A third bill, the
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
appropriations bill (H.R. 4800), was considered and amended on the House floor on June 11
without a vote on final passage.34 The House considered and passed the final two bills in July.
The last floor action on initial consideration of individual regular appropriations bills occurred on
July 16 with the passage of the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill by
a vote of 228-195.
Status of Statutory Discretionary Budget Enforcement Prior to the Beginning
of the Fiscal Year
OMB projected the budgetary levels of the House regular appropriations bills on August 20,
2014.35 Defense discretionary spending subject to the BCA limits was projected to be about
$521.261 billion, which is about $0.11 billion below the defense limit. When defense spending
designated under Section 251(b) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act
(BBEDCA) for Overseas Contingency Operation/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT) was
accounted for, the total amount of defense discretionary spending was projected to be about
$579.835 billion.36 Nondefense discretionary spending subject to the BCA limits was projected to
be about $487.724 billion, which is about $4.632 billion below the nondefense limit. When
nondefense spending designated as for OCO/GWOT, continuing disability reviews and
redeterminations, health care fraud and abuse control, or disaster relief was accounted for, the
total amount of nondefense discretionary spending was projected to be about $504.260 billion.
Senate Action
Committee
Table 3 lists the 12 regular appropriations bills and their associated date of subcommittee
approval, date reported to the Senate, and report number. Subcommittee and full committee action
on approving and reporting regular appropriations occurred over about an eight-week period. In
total, 11 regular appropriations bills were approved by subcommittees and 8 were reported to the
Senate by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The first regular appropriations bills to be approved by a subcommittee were the Agriculture,
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (S.
34 Reportedly, House consideration of the Agriculture appropriations bill was halted in part due to upcoming majority
leadership changes as well as to issues associated with the school lunch and Women, Infants, and Children nutrition
programs (Philip Brasher, “Agriculture Spending Bill Sidetracked in House, CQ News, June 12, 2014; Tamar
Hallerman, “House Leadership Turmoil Latest Obstacle for Spending Bills,” CQ News, June 12, 2014).
35 These calculations were based on the most recent appropriations action that had occurred in the House as of the date
of that report—the 302(b) allocation, subcommittee-reported bill, committee-reported bill, or House-passed bill. See
OMB Sequestration Update Report to the President and Congress for FY2015, August 20, 2014, pp. 9-10, available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/legislative_reports/sequestration/
sequestration_update_august2014.pdf.
36 See footnote 15.
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2389) and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations
bill (H.R. 4486), on May 20, 2014. Both of these bills were reported to the Senate on May 22. In
total, two regular appropriations bills were approved by their respective subcommittees in May,
eight in June, and one in July. The full committee pattern of reporting to the Senate was similar,
with two bills reported in May, five in June, and one in July. The final bill to be approved in
subcommittee and reported to the Senate was the Department of Defense appropriations bill (H.R.
4870), on July 17, 2014.
Table 3. FY2015 Regular Appropriations Bills: Senate Appropriations
Committee Action
Regular Appropriations
Bill Titlea (Bill
Date of Subcommittee
Date Bill Reported to
Number)
Approval
the Senate
Report No.
AG (S. 2389)
May 20, 2014
May 22, 2014
S.Rept. 113-164
MCVA (H.R. 4486)
May 20, 2014
May 22, 2014
S.Rept. 113-174
CJS (S. 2437)
June 3, 2014
June 5, 2014
S.Rept. 113-181
THUD (S. 2438)
June 3, 2014
June 5, 2014
S.Rept. 113-182
LB (H.R. 4487)
June 10, 2014
June 19, 2014
S.Rept. 113-196
LHHS (NA)b
June 10, 2014
—
—
SFO (S. 2499)
June 17, 2014
June 19, 2014
S.Rept. 113-195
EW (NA)c
June 17, 2014
—
—
FSGG (NA)d
June 24, 2014
—
—
DHS (S. 2534)
June 24, 2014
June 26, 2014
S.Rept. 113-198
DOD (H.R. 4870)
July 15, 2014
July 17, 2014
S.Rept. 113-211
INT (NA)e —
—
—
Source: CRS analysis of data available through LIS and the CRS FY2015 Appropriations Status Table
(http://www.crs.gov/pages/AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx).
a. AG = Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies;
CJS = Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; DOD = Department of Defense; EW = Energy
and Water Development and Related Agencies; FSGG = Financial Services and General Government;
DHS = Department of Homeland Security; INT = Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies; LHHS = Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies;
LB = Legislative Branch; MCVA = Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies;
SFO = Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; THUD = Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
b. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee-reported draft bill
and report are available at http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/fy15-lhhs-subcommittee-reported-
bill-and-draft-report.
c. The Energy and Water Development Subcommittee-reported draft bill and report are available at
http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/fy-2015-ew-subcommittee-reported-bill-and-draft-report.
d. The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee-reported draft bill and report are available
at http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/fy15-fsgg-subcommittee-reported-bill-and-draft-report.
e. The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman’s recommended bill text and
draft report are available at http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/fy15-interior-subcommittee-bill-
draft-report.
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Four of the 12 regular appropriations bills were not reported to the Senate. The Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; and
Financial Services and General Government subcommittees all reported regular appropriations
bills to the full committee, but no further action occurred.37 The Departments of the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill was neither approved by the
subcommittee nor considered by the full committee.38
Floor
The only regular appropriations bill to receive initial floor consideration in the Senate was the
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R. 4660). Prior to the
bill being brought to the floor, Senator Mikulski, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, indicated her intention to propose an amendment that would add to the bill the texts
of two additional regular appropriations bills—Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies.39 This was to allow initial floor consideration of those appropriations to occur
in the same legislative vehicle.40 On June 12, the motion to proceed was made in the Senate and
cloture was filed on that motion. Cloture was invoked on the motion to proceed on June 17 by a
vote of 95-3. The motion to proceed was agreed to on June 19 by a voice vote, but no further
proceedings occurred after that time.41
Status of Statutory Discretionary Budget Enforcement Prior to the Beginning
of the Fiscal Year
OMB projected the budgetary levels of the Senate regular appropriations bills on August 20,
2014.42 Defense discretionary spending subject to the BCA limits was projected to be about
$521.306 billion, which is about $0.034 billion in excess of the defense limit. When defense
spending designated under Section 251(b) of the BBEDCA for OCO/GWOT was accounted for,
the total amount of defense discretionary spending subject to the BCA limits was projected to be
about $579.880 billion. Nondefense discretionary spending subject to the BCA limits was
projected to be about $488.603 billion, which was about $3.753 billion below the nondefense
37 See notes b-d to Table 3 for links to the subcommittee-reported draft bill and report.
38 See note e to Table 3 for the link to the subcommittee chairman’s recommended draft bill text and report.
39 Tamar Hallerman, “Agriculture, C-J-S, Transportation-HUD Bills Headed to Senate Floor,” CQ News, June 11,
2014).
40 This approach was similar to what occurred with the FY2012 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R. 2112, 112th Cong.), to which the texts of two bills were
added during initial floor consideration (Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; and Transportation,
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies).
41 Reportedly, no further consideration occurred because the Senate was unable to reach a unanimous consent
agreement on how to proceed with the amendment process (Tamar Hallerman and Sarah Chacko, “‘Minibus’ Debate
off to a Slow Start in the Senate,” CQ News, June 18, 2014; Niels Lesniewski, “Reid Parks ‘Minibus’ Spending Bill in
Amendment Dispute,” CQ News, June 19, 2014).
42 These calculations were based on the most recent appropriations action that had occurred in the Senate as of the date
of that report—the 302(b) allocation, subcommittee-reported bill, committee-reported bill, or Senate-passed bill. See
Executive Office of the President, OMB Sequestration Update Report to the President and Congress for FY2015,
August 20, 2014, pp. 9-10, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/legislative_reports/
sequestration/sequestration_update_august2014.pdf.
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limit. When nondefense spending designated as for OCO/GWOT, continuing disability reviews
and redeterminations, health care fraud and abuse control, or disaster relief was accounted for, the
total amount of nondefense discretionary spending was projected to be about $505.139 billion.
The FY2015 Consolidated Act (H.R. 83, Divisions A through K)
On December 9, the House and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairs announced an omnibus
appropriations package that combined an agreement on 11 of the 12 regular appropriations bills
into a single vehicle, referred to in this report as the FY2015 Consolidated Act.43 This agreement
was to be considered as a House amendment to a Senate amendment to an unrelated bill (H.R.
83).44 After adopting a special rule that provided for the consideration of the amendment (H.Res.
776),45 the House concurred in the Senate amendment with an amendment by a vote of 219-206,
on December 11.46 On December 13, cloture was invoked in the Senate on the motion to concur
in the House amendment by a vote of 77-19. After disposing of a point of order against the
motion to concur, the Senate agreed to the motion that same day by a vote of 56-40.47 The bill
was signed into law by the President on December 16, 2014.
Prior to consideration on the House floor, CBO estimated the discretionary appropriations that
would be provided through the enactment of H.R. 83, Divisions A through L. This included the
budgetary effects of the 11 annual regular appropriations acts contained in those divisions, as well
as the annualized budget authority for the part-year CR for the Department of Homeland Security.
These are listed in Table 4, below. CBO estimated that appropriations subject to the FY2015
discretionary spending limits would not exceed those levels. When adjustments to the limits were
accounted for, total appropriations were projected to be about $1.1 billion.
43 The one remaining regular appropriations bill, for the Department of Homeland Security, was funded by temporary
continuing appropriations in Division L of the agreement through February 27, 2015. This is discussed further in the
report section “H.R. 83, Division L”.
44 H.R. 83 was originally passed by the House as a bill “To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of
technical, policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of the insular areas of the United States and the
Freely Associated States through the development of energy action plans aimed at promoting access to affordable,
reliable energy, including increasing use of indigenous clean-energy resources, and for other purposes.” The text of the
bill was subsequently amended by the Senate. House action on resolving differences deleted the Senate amendment and
inserted the text of the omnibus appropriations package.
45 Pursuant to provisions in H.Res. 776, H.Con.Res. 122 was considered to have passed the House upon the adoption of
the special rule. H.Con.Res. 122 was an enrollment resolution to amend the long title of the bill to be “Making
consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes”. This enrollment
resolution was agreed to in the Senate by unanimous consent on December 13, 2014. For further information on
enrollment resolutions, see CRS Report RL34480, Enrollment of Legislation: Relevant Congressional Procedures, by
Valerie Heitshusen.
46 For further background on House proceedings related to the FY2015 Consolidated Act, see Emily Ethridge,
“‘Cromnibus’ Set for House Floor Debate,” CQ News, December 10, 2014; Tamar Hallerman, “Democrats’ Opposition
Forces Delay in Omnibus Vote,” CQ News, December 11, 2014; Tamar Hallerman, “House Narrowly Passes
‘Cromnibus’ to Avoid Shutdown,” CQ News, December 11, 2014.
47 The Constitutional point of order was determined by the Senate to be not well taken by a vote of 22-74. For further
information on Senate proceedings related to the FY2015 Consolidated Act see Niels Lesniewski, “Reid Hopes for
Quick ‘Cromnibus’ Passage, Getaway,” CQ News, December 12, 2014; Neils Lesniewski, “Senate Rejects Cruz Point
of Order on Obama’s Immigration Action,” CQ News, December 13, 2014; Tamar Hallerman, “Senate Clears
Sprawling Fiscal 2015 Spending Package,” CQ News, December 13, 2014.
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Table 4. CBO Estimate of H.R. 83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2015, Divisions A-L
(amounts in millions)
Budget
Authority Outlays
Regular Appropriationsa
Defenseb 521,272
556,132
Nondefensec 492,076
596,779
Total:
1,013,348
1,152,911
Adjustmentsd
Overseas
Contingency
Operations
73,706
32,891
Disaster Relief
5,717
321
Program Integrity Initiatives
1,484
1,277
Emergency Requirements
5,405
1,527
Total Appropriations
1,099,660
1,188,927
Source: CBO, “H.R. 83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Divisions A-L, as
Posted on the Website of the House Committee on Rules on December 9, 2014,” December 10, 2014 (available
at http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/HR83.pdf).
a. Regular appropriations include all budget authority that is subject to the statutory discretionary spending
limits.
b. Defense spending is al spending that is under budget function 050.
c. Nondefense spending is al spending that is not under budget function 050.
d. Such adjustments to the spending limits are pursuant to Section 251(b) of the BBEDCA. See footnote 15 of
this report for further information.
Continuing Resolutions
Because none of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills were to be enacted by the beginning of
the fiscal year, a CR (H.J.Res. 124; P.L. 113-164) was enacted on September 19, 2014. This CR
generally extended funding at last year’s levels, with a small across-the-board reduction and
certain enumerated exceptions, through December 11, 2014.48 Two additional CRs were enacted
to extend temporary funding for all 12 regular appropriations bills through December 13 and
December 17 (P.L. 113-202 and P.L. 113-203, respectively). A fourth CR was enacted as part of
the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act to extend temporary funding for the
Department of Homeland Security through February 27, 2015 (Division L, H.R. 83).
H.J.Res. 124 (P.L. 113-164)
The Continuing Appropriations Resolution for FY2015 was introduced by Representative Harold
Rogers, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, on September 9, 2014. The following
48 For a brief overview of the components of this CR, see CRS Report IN10148, H.J.Res. 124, the FY2015 Continuing
Resolution, by Jessica Tollestrup.
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week, on September 16, the House adopted a special rule (H.Res. 722) allowing for the
consideration of an amendment that authorized the President to arm and train vetted elements of
Syrian opposition groups and that provided for the potential use of funds for those purposes.49
The next day, after debate on H.J.Res. 124 and the Syria amendment thereto was completed, the
House adopted the amendment by a vote of 273-156 and passed the CR by a vote of 319-108. On
September 18, the Senate invoked cloture on the CR by a vote of 73-27. It then passed the CR on
that same day by a vote of 78-22.50 The President signed the CR into law on September 19.
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the annualized51 budget authority for
regular appropriations provided in the CR that is subject to the BCA limits was $1,012.236
billion.52 When spending designated as for OCO/GWOT, continuing disability reviews and
redeterminations, health care fraud abuse control, or disaster relief is included, the total amount of
annualized budget authority in the CR was $1,110.678 billion.53
CBO also estimated that annualized spending in the CR would exceed one of the two statutory
discretionary spending limits.54 Defense spending in the CR was estimated to total $517.689
billion, which is about $3.583 billion below the defense limit, but nondefense spending was
estimated to total $494.547 billion, which was about $2.191 billion above the nondefense limit.
However, the BCA limits are first enforced within 15 calendar days after the congressional
session adjourns sine die, and the funds in this CR were superseded by the enactment of H.R. 83
prior to that time.55
H.J.Res. 130 (P.L. 113-202) and H.J.Res. 131 (P.L. 113-203)
As congressional action was occurring on H.R. 83, which would complete the annual
appropriations process for 11 out of the 12 regular appropriations bills, it became evident that
additional time would be needed to complete that action. On December 10, 2014, Representative
Harold Rogers, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, introduced H.J.Res. 130, to
extend the effectiveness the first FY2015 CR two additional days—to December 13, 2014. On
49 The special rule also self-executed an amendment making certain technical corrections to the CR. For the text of the
amendments to the CR, see H.Rept. 113-600 that accompanied H.Res. 722. For further information on the Syria-related
CR provisions, see CRS Report R43720, U.S. Military Action Against the Islamic State: Answers to Frequently Asked
Legal Questions, by Michael John Garcia and Jennifer K. Elsea.
50 The Senate had previously adopted a unanimous consent agreement that provided the terms for proceeding to the
measure, disposing of the cloture motion, and voting on final passage. See Senate debate, Congressional Record, daily
edition, vol. 160, no. 133 (September 17, 2014), p. S5684.
51 The amount of annualized budget authority is an extrapolation of the budget authority that would be provided if the
CR were to expire at the end of the fiscal year.
52 This amount is generally equal to the total of the statutory discretionary spending limits for the previous fiscal year
(FY2014).
53 CBO, “The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 (H.J.Res. 124), Including the Amendment in Part A of
H.Rept. 113-600, as Approved by the House Committee on Rules on September 15, 2014,” available at
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/hjres124_0.pdf.
54 CBO, “The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 (H.J.Res. 124), Including the Amendment in Part A of
H.Rept. 113-600, as Approved by the House Committee on Rules on September 15, 2014, Regular Appropriations
Only,” available at http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/hjres124_0.pdf.
55 BBEDCA, §251(a)(6). Unless otherwise specified by law, the latest that this adjournment can occur is January 3,
2015. For further information with regard to sine die adjournments of a congressional session, see CRS Report R42977,
Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress, by Richard S. Beth and Jessica Tollestrup.
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December 11, this measure was agreed to in the House without objection and passed the Senate
by a voice vote. It was signed into law by the President on December 12, 2014 (P.L. 113-202).
That same day, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee introduced another CR,
H.J.Res. 131, to further extend the effectiveness of the first FY2015 CR through December 17,
2014. The measure passed the House without objection and the Senate by a voice vote. It was
signed into law on December 13, 2014 (P.L. 113-203). These temporary appropriations measures
were superseded by the enactment of H.R. 83 on December 16, 2014.
H.R. 83, Division L
Although annual appropriations for 11 of the regular appropriations bills were enacted as part of
H.R. 83 (Divisions A-L), Congress did not include annual funding for the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) as part of the package. The exclusion of annual appropriations for
DHS was, in large part, due to the lack of consensus on how Congress would respond to the
Obama Administration’s announcement of immigration-related executive action that had occurred
the previous month.56 Some congressional critics of the Administration’s proposal suggested that
annual appropriations for DHS be used as the vehicle to respond to those actions.57 Consequently
Division L of H.R. 83 contained an extension of the DHS funding provided in the first CR,
through February 27, 2015. This CR also made a few modifications to the first CR, including the
addition of two provisions related to DHS (Section 101 of Division L).
Congressional consideration of H.R. 83 is discussed in the report section entitled, “The FY2015
Consolidated Act (H.R. 83, Divisions A through K).”
Author Contact Information
Jessica Tollestrup
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
jtollestrup@crs.loc.gov, 7-0941
56 For further information on these actions, see CRS Report WSLG1125, The Obama Administration’s Announced
Immigration Initiative: A Primer, by Michael John Garcia and Michael John Garcia.
57 For further information about how this debate unfolded prior to congressional consideration of H.R. 83, see Emily
Ethridge and Tamar Hallerman, “Defunding Obama’s Immigration Moves May Prove Difficult,” CQ News, November
20, 2014; Emma Dumain and Emily Ethridge, “Price Pushes Plan to Separate Immigration Funding from Omnibus,”
CQ News, November 25, 2014; Emma Dumain and Matt Fuller, “House GOP Floats Multi-Pronged Approach to Avert
Government Shutdown,” CQ News, December 2, 2014; David Rogers, “Lawmakers Iron Out Money Details for a
Deal,” Politico, December 4, 2014.
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