link to page 1 link to page 1 link to page 1 
March 28, 2019
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations:
FY2020 President’s Budget Request
Since FY2006, Congress has funded the U.S. Environmental
appropriations has expired if no Member raises a point of
Protection Agency (EPA) in the Interior, Environment, and
order or the rules are waived for consideration of a bill.
Related Agencies appropriations bills. For FY2020 the
Congress has typically done so to continue appropriations.
President requested $6.07 billion for EPA, $2.78 billion
(31%) less than the total $8.85 billion FY2019 enacted
History of EPA Budget Authority
appropriations for EPA (after rescissions) provided in Titles
Figure 2 presents EPA discretionary “budget authority”
II and IV of Division E of the Consolidated Appropriations
since FY1976 in nominal dollars and adjusted for inflation.
Act, FY2019 (P.L. 116-6), and $123.4 million (2%) less than Budget authority is provided through annual appropriations
the FY2019 request of $6.19 billion for EPA. (Note that prior and constitutes the amount of funding available to an
year comparisons in the President’s FY2020 budget
agency for obligation in a fiscal year to carry out a specific
documents are based on estimated FY2019 “annualized”
purpose authorized in law. The trend in nominal dollars
levels under the continuing resolution in place at the time the presented in Figure 2 is based on a history of agency
request was being finalized, not FY2019 enacted
budget authority prepared by the White House Office of
appropriations.) Trends in requested and enacted
Management and Budget (OMB). Congress has funded
appropriations for EPA since FY2008 are shown in Figure 1. EPA since the agency’s creation in 1970, but OMB
histories do not include fiscal years prior to FY1976.
Figure 1. EPA Requested and Enacted Appropriations
FY2008-FY2020
Figure 2. EPA Discretionary Budget Authority
($ nominal not adjusted for inflation)
FY1976-FY2020 (Request)
($ in bil ions nominal and adjusted for inflation)
Source: CRS using information from the Congressional Record; House,
Senate, and conference reports; and EPA’s FY2020 Congressional
Source: CRS based on the White House Office of Management and
Budget Justification. Enacted amounts reflect rescissions and
Budget (OMB), Budget of the United States Government Fiscal Year
2020, Historical Tables, Table 5.4; CRS calculated for inflation using
supplemental appropriations, including $7.22 bil ion included for EPA
OMB deflators presented in Table 10.1. FY2009 funding level reflects
in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5).
the supplemental appropriations included for EPA in the American
Funding is appropriated to EPA to support the agency’s
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5).
primary responsibilities under several federal pollution
control statutes in coordination with states. EPA also
EPA Appropriations Accounts
awards grants to assist delegated states and local
Funding is annually appropriated to EPA among 10
governments to support implementation and compliance
accounts established by Congress over time: State and
with federal requirements to control pollution.
Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG), Environmental Programs
Authorization of Appropriations
and Management (EPM), Hazardous Substance Superfund
(“Superfund”), Science and Technology (S&T), Leaking
The statutory authorization of appropriations for many of
Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program, Buildings
the programs and activities administered by EPA has
and Facilities (B&F), Office of Inspector General, Inland
expired, but Congress has continued to fund them through
Oil Spill Program, Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest
the appropriations process. Authorization of appropriations
System Fund, and Water Infrastructure Finance and
is a procedural matter. Congress may appropriate funding
Innovation Program.
for a program or activity for which the authorization of
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 2 link to page 2 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations:
FY2020 President’s Budget Request
As indicated in Figure 3, the proportional distribution of
Compared to FY2019 and FY2018 enacted levels, the
funding among these accounts has remained similar for
FY2020 request would reduce funding across many of the
more than a decade with the exception of FY2009. The
functions of EPA that have been the focus of congressional
STAG and EPM accounts have received the largest share of
debate in recent fiscal years. These functions include
funding, followed by the Superfund and S&T accounts. The
federal financial assistance to states for clean water and
STAG account funds grants for water infrastructure,
drinking water infrastructure projects through capitalization
brownfields site assessment and remediation, diesel
grants for state revolving funds; categorical grants to
emissions reduction, targeted airsheds, and “categorical”
support the implementation and enforcement of federal
grants to states and tribes for implementing pollution
environmental statutes delegated to the states; funding for
control. The EPM account funds additional grants and
the agency’s implementation and research support for air
many cross-cutting agency activities. The Superfund
pollution control requirements; EPA actions to address
account supports the environmental remediation of priority
climate change and greenhouse gas emissions; funding for
sites designated for federal attention. The S&T account
environmental remediation; and federal assistance for the
funds research that supports agency regulatory decisions.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Chesapeake Bay
program, and other geographic-specific programs.
Figure 3. EPA Appropriations by Account FY2008-
FY2020 (Request)
Appropriated and requested funding for these various
($ nominal not adjusted for inflation)
program areas are typically presented as line items below
the EPA appropriations account level in EPA’s budget
justifications as well as committee reports and explanatory
statements accompanying annual appropriations bills.
EPA Staff Levels
The President’s FY2020 request proposed 12,415 full-time
equivalents for EPA to administer federal environmental
statutes in coordination with delegated states. Based on
EPA-reported staffing levels, the request would be the
lowest since 1985. Congress does not set EPA staffing
levels in annual appropriations acts. EPA generally
determines staffing levels based on the availability of
annual appropriations enacted each fiscal year to fund the
agency. The FY2020 request proposed a total of $31.0
million for “workforce reshaping” in the EPM and S&T
Source: Prepared by CRS using information from the Congressional
accounts. The FY2019 enacted appropriations did not fund
Record; House, Senate, and conference committee reports; and EPA’s
a similar proposal. Figure 4 presents “full-time
FY2020 Congressional Budget Justification. Enacted amounts include
equivalents” as reported by EPA for FY2008-FY2020.
supplemental appropriations but not rescissions.
With the exception of the B&F account, the President’s
Figure 4. EPA-Reported Full-Time Equivalent FY2008-
FY2020 request proposed funding reductions below
FY2018 Enacted, FY2019 “annualized continuing
FY2019 enacted levels for all other EPA appropriations
resolution (CR),” and FY2020 Requested
accounts, although funding for some program areas within
the accounts would remain constant or increase. For
example, the FY2020 request proposed $50.0 million for a
new “Healthy Schools Grant Program” to address
environmental hazards in schools.
Funding and Policy Issues
The President’s proposed FY2020 funding reductions have
garnered attention from Members of Congress; states; U.S.
territories; tribes; and industry, health, and environmental
stakeholder organizations. Proposed reductions and
eliminations are distributed across EPA operational
functions and activities as well as grants for states, tribes,
and local governments. Similar to the FY2019 request, the
President has again proposed to increase the responsibilities
of states and their associated costs to carry out this
Source: CRS using information from EPA’s FY2018 and FY2020
delegated authority. The proposed increased responsibility
Budget in Brief.
is described in EPA’s FY2020 Congressional Budget
Justification under its Cooperative Federalism Goal. The
Robert Esworthy, Specialist in Environmental Policy
FY2019 consolidated appropriations did not adopt the
David M. Bearden, Specialist in Environmental Policy
President’s requested eliminations and many of the
proposed FY2019 reductions.
IF11153
https://crsreports.congress.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations:
FY2020 President’s Budget Request
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11153 · VERSION 1 · NEW