NASA Appropriations and Authorizations:
A Fact Sheet

Updated January 24, 2019
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
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ongressional deliberations about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) often focus on the availability of funding. This fact sheet provides data on past,
current, and proposed FY2019 NASA appropriations, as well as authorizations for
C FY2019 appropriations.
Additional information on appropriations legislation affecting NASA is provided in CRS Report
R45237, Overview of FY2019 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies (CJS), and similar reports for prior years.1 See also CRS In Focus IF10940, The James
Webb Space Telescope; CRS In Focus IF10828, The International Space Station (ISS) and the
Administration’s Proposal to End Direct NASA Funding by 2025; and the discussion of NASA’s
use of commercial space capabilities in CRS Report R45416, Commercial Space: Federal
Regulation, Oversight, and Utilization.
Table 1 shows appropriations for NASA from FY2013 through FY2018. The data for FY2013
through FY2017 include supplemental appropriations, rescissions, transfers, reprogramming, and,
in the case of FY2013, sequestration. They are taken from NASA’s congressional budget
justifications for FY2015 through FY2019.2 Congressional budget justifications are available on
the NASA budget website (http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/) for the current year and for past
years back to FY2002. The table data for FY2018 are as enacted by the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141). For amounts not specified in that act, see pages H2094-
H2096 of the explanatory statement, published in the Congressional Record on March 22, 2018.
Table 2 shows FY2018 appropriations, as above; the Administration’s request for FY2019;
FY2019 amounts recommended in the 115th Congress by the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations; FY2019 amounts that would be appropriated by H.R. 21 as passed by the House
on January 4, 2019, and by H.R. 648 as passed by the House on January 23, 2019; and FY2019
amounts that would have been authorized by House and Senate authorization bills in the 115th
Congress. The Trump Administration’s budget request for FY2019 adopted a new account
structure for NASA. Proposed name changes are indicated in the table notes. In addition, the
Administration proposed to transfer certain activities from the Deep Space Exploration Systems
account (currently Exploration) to the Exploration Research and Technology account (currently
Space Technology) so the amounts shown for those items represent somewhat different content in
different columns.
Figure 1 shows NASA’s total annual budget authority from the agency’s establishment in
FY1958 to FY2018, in both current dollars and inflation-adjusted FY2018 dollars.



1 See, for example, CRS Report R44877, Overview of FY2018 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and
Related Agencies (CJS); CRS Report R44409, Overview of FY2017 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science,
and Related Agencies (CJS); CRS Report R43918, Overview of FY2016 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies (CJS); CRS Report R43509, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies:
FY2015 Appropriations, CRS Report R43080, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2014
Appropriations; CRS Report R42440, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations.
2 FY2016 and FY2017 Education amounts are not shown in the FY2018 and FY2019 congressional budget
justifications and are instead taken from the explanatory statement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L.
114-113), Congressional Record, December 17, 2015, pp. H9741-H9743, and the explanatory statement for the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), Congressional Record, May 3, 2017, pp. H3374-H3375.
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Table 1. NASA Appropriations, FY2013-FY2018
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2013
FY2014
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
Science
$4,782
$5,148
$5,243
$5,584
$5,762
$6,222
Earth Science
1,659
1,825
1,784
1,927
1,908
1,921
Planetary Science
1,275
1,346
1,447
1,628
1,828
2,228
Astrophysics
617
678
731
762
783
850
James Webb Space Telescope
628
658
645
620
569
534
Heliophysics
603
641
636
647
675
689
Aeronautics
530
566
642
634
656
685
Space Technology
615
576
600
686
687
760
Exploration
3,706
4,113
3,543
3,996
4,324
4,790
Exploration Systems Devel.
2,884
3,115
3,212
3,641
3,929
4,395
Orion
1,114
1,197
1,190
1,270
1,330
1,350
Space Launch System
1,415
1,600
1,679
1,972
2,127
2,150
Exploration Ground Systems
355
318
343
399
472
895
Commercial Spaceflight
525
696
—a
—a
—a
—a
Exploration R&D
297
302
331
355
395
395
Space Operations
3,725
3,774
4,626
5,032
4,943
4,752
Space Shuttle
39
0
8
5
0
0
International Space Station
2,776
2,964
1,525
1,436
1,451
n/s
Space Transportation
—b
—b
2,254
2,668
2,589
n/s
Space and Flight Support
910
810
839
923
903
n/s
Education
116
117
119
115
100
100
Space Grant
37
40
40
40
40
40
EPSCoR
17
18
18
18
18
18
MUREP
28
30
32
32
32
32
Other
34
29
29
25
10
10
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,711
2,793
2,755
2,772
2,769
2,827
Construction and EC&R
661c
522
446
427
485d
562
Inspector General
35
38
37
37
38
39
Total
16,879c
17,647
18,010
19,285
19,762d
20,736
Sources: FY2013-FY2017 from NASA FY2015-FY2019 congressional budget justifications. FY2018 from P.L.
115-141 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, March 22, 2018, pp. H2094-H2096. See text for details.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. R&D = Research and Development. EPSCoR =
Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University Research and Education
Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not specified.
a. Included in Space Transportation under Space Operations.
b. Commercial Crew funded under Exploration. Remainder of Space Transportation included in International
Space Station.
c. Includes $14 mil ion (after sequestration) of supplemental funding from the Disaster Relief Appropriations
Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2) that is not shown in the NASA FY2015 congressional budget justification.
d. Includes $109 mil ion in emergency funding from Sec. 540 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017
(P.L. 115-31) that is not shown in the NASA FY2019 congressional budget justification.
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Table 2. NASA Appropriations and Authorizations, FY2019
(budget authority in $ millions)


FY2019 Appropriations
FY2019 Auth.
FY2018
House Senate H.R.
H.R.
House Senate

Enacted Request (115th) (115th) 21
648
(115th) (115th)
Science
$6,222
$5,895
$6,681
$6,400
$6,400
$6,906
$6,624
$6,400
Earth Science
1,921
1,784
1,900
1,931
n/s
1,931
1,921
n/s
Planetary Science
2,228
2,235
2,759
2,202
n/s
2,759
2,637
n/s
Astrophysics
850
1,185
1,029
1,243
n/s
1,192
1,375
n/s
James Webb Space Telescope
534
—a
305
305
n/s
305
—
n/s
Heliophysics
689
691
689
720
n/s
720
691
n/s
Aeronautics
685
634
715
725
725
725
685
725
Space Technologyb
760
1,003
900
933
933
927
1,018
1,003
Explorationb
4,790
4,559
5,084
5,339
5,339
5,051
4,929
5,339
Exploration Systems Development
4,395
3,670
4,045
4,295
4,295
4,093
4,040
n/s
Orion
1,350
1,164
1,350
1,350
1,350
1,350
1,350
n/s
Space Launch System
2,150
2,078
2,150
2,150
2,150
2,150
2,150
n/s
Exploration Ground Systems
895
428
545
795
795
593
540
n/s
Exploration R&Db
395
889
1,039
1,044
1,044
958
889
n/s
Space Operationsb
4,752
4,625
4,625
4,639
4,639
4,639
4,625
4,639
International Space Station
n/s
1,462
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
1,462
n/s
Space Transportation
n/s
2,109
n/s
2,109
n/s
n/s
2,109
n/s
Space and Flight Support
n/s
904
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
904
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
—
150
150
40
n/s
40
150
n/s
Educationb
100
0
90
110
110
110
108
100
Space Grant
40
0
40
44
44
44
40
n/s
EPSCoR
18
0
18
21
21
21
18
n/s
MUREP
32
0
32
33
n/s
33
n/s
n/s
Other
10
0
0
12
n/s
12
n/s
n/s
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,827
2,750
2,850
2,750
2,750
2,755
2,750
2,850
Construction and EC&R
562
388
562
388
388
348
438
451
Inspector General
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
Total
20,736
19,892
21,546
21,323
21,323
21,500
21,215
21,546
Sources: FY2018 enacted from P.L. 115-141 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, March 22, 2018,
pp. H2094-H2096. Request from FY2019 NASA congressional budget justification. House (115th Congress) from
H.R. 5952 as reported and H.Rept. 115-704. Senate (115th Congress) from S. 3072 as reported and S.Rept. 115-
275. H.R. 21 as passed by the House. H.R. 648 as passed by the House and explanatory statement, Congressional
Record, January 18, 2019, pp. H773-H774. Authorizations from H.R. 5503 (115th Congress) as reported and S.
3799 (115th Congress) as introduced.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. R&D = Research and Development. LEO = Low Earth
Orbit. EPSCoR = Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University
Research and Education Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not specified.
a. $305 mil ion included in Astrophysics.
b. In request and 115th Congress House bil s, Space Technology is Exploration Research and Technology,
Exploration is Deep Space Exploration Systems, Exploration R&D is Advanced Exploration Systems, and
Space Operations is LEO and Spaceflight Operations. In S. 3072 (115th Congress) and H.R. 21, Education is
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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Opportunities. In H.R. 648, Education is Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Engagement. See text for variations in program content.

Figure 1. NASA Funding, FY1958-FY2018

Source: Compiled by CRS. FY1958-FY2008 from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Aeronautics
and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 2008 Activities, http://history.nasa.gov/presrep2008.pdf, Table D-1A.
FY2009-FY2012 from NASA congressional budget justifications, FY2011-FY2014. FY2013-FY2018 as in Table 1.
Current dol ars deflated to FY2018 dol ars using GDP (chained) price index from President’s budget for FY2019,
Historical Table 10.1, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/hist10z1-fy2019.xlsx.
Note: Transition quarter between FY1976 and FY1977 not shown.


Author Information

Daniel Morgan

Specialist in Science and Technology Policy


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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet


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