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April 22, 2019
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
FY2020 Budget Request and Appropriations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
Figure 1. NOAA Requested and Enacted Direct
(NOAA’s) mission is to understand and predict changes in
Obligations, FY2009–FY2020 (nominal $ in bil ions)
weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that
information with others; and to conserve and manage
coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. NOAA’s
work is divided among six line offices: National
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
(NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS);
National Ocean Service (NOS); National Weather Service
(NWS); Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
(OAR); and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
(OMAO). NOAA also has an overall Mission Support
office, which provides planning, administrative, financial,
information technology, and other services to NOAA’s line
offices.
Source: Congressional Research Service, from NOAA budget
justifications and congressional explanatory statements.
Congress generally funds NOAA, an agency of the
Note: Amounts do not include supplemental appropriations,
Department of Commerce (DOC), in the annual Commerce,
rescissions, or sequestration.
Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations law.
Congress provides NOAA with discretionary and
Issues for Congress
mandatory appropriations. Discretionary appropriations
According to NOAA’s FY2020 Bluebook, the FY2020
support two broad accounts—operations, research, and
budget supports NOAA’s priorities: (1) reduce the impacts
facilities (ORF) and procurement, acquisition, and
of extreme weather and water events, (2) maximize the
construction (PAC)—as well as through several relatively
economic contributions of ocean and coastal resources, and
small accounts. In addition, mandatory appropriations
(3) space innovation.
generally provide a small percentage of total NOAA
appropriations and are disbursed to a variety of funds that
Proposed Program Changes
support programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. This CRS
For FY2020, the Administration proposed increases to 22
product examines ORF and PAC funding for FY2020 and
subactivities totaling over $80 million, including a
potential issues for Congress, such as NOAA’s proposed
program changes, the agency’s requested changes to the
requested increase of $18.5 million in subactivity grants,
subsidies, and contributions (GSC) between the FY2020
Promote and Develop American Fishery Products &
base level and the FY2020 budget request (Table 1). GSC,
Research Pertaining to American Fisheries Fund, future
satellite funding, and the agency’s role i
according to NOAA, includes grants awarded to nonfederal
n space commerce.
entities, such as states, universities, and the private sector
History of Funding
under GSC. The FY2020 budget request also proposed the
reduction or elimination of 96 subactivities and additional
The Administration requested a total of $4.66 billion in
undescribed decreases totaling over $1 billion (Table 1). Of
discretionary direct obligations for ORF and PAC for
the total, more than $490.4 million in GSC is proposed to
FY2020, including $4.46 billion in appropriations.
be reduced or eliminated compared to the FY2020 base
Direct obligations include appropriations, transfers from
level. Activities proposed for termination include NMFS
NOAA funds, and recoveries of canceled prior-year
Interjurisdictional Fisheries grants, NOS Coastal Zone
obligations. In the FY2019 omnibus (P.L. 116-6 ), Congress
Management grants, OAR’s National Sea Grant College
provided $5.54 billion in direct obligations for ORF and
Program, and the Educational Partnership Program for
PAC, of which $5.35 billion was in new appropriations.
Minority Serving Institutions program under Mission
The FY2020-requested amount of direct obligations is
Support. The remaining amount is composed of planned
nearly 13% below the enacted FY2019 direct obligations
decreases to three satellite programs ($216.6 million) and
levels. Enacted direct obligations and appropriations for
proposed reductions and eliminations to advisory services,
NOAA ORF and PAC have generally increased from
contracts with federal and nonfederal entities, personnel
FY2009, and peaked in FY2018 (P.L. 116-6). Since
compensation and benefits, travel, and other program
FY2009, the PAC account has ranged from about 25% to
adjustments ($303.6 million) (Table 1). Similar changes
41% of the total direct obligations.
were proposed in NOAA’s FY2018 and FY2019 budget
requests.
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Table 1. NOAA ORF and PAC FY2019-Enacted and FY2020-Requested Direct Obligations and Appropriations
(nominal $ in millions)
Requested
FY2020
FY2019
Requested
Reductions or
Budget
Line Offices
Enacteda
FY2020 Baseb
Increases
Terminationsc
Request
NESDIS
$1,698.5
$1,691.6
$26.6
$245.5
$1,472.7
NMFS
$908.8
$921.6
$1.6
$111.5
$811.7
NOS
$585.5
$590.3
$4.0
$223.1
$371.2
NWS
$1,162.6
$1,183.5
$11.3
$113.0
$1,081.9
OAR
$566.1
$571.7
$17.3
$253.9
$335.1
OMAO
$325.8
$330.0
$4.9
$10.8
$323.4
Mission Support
$292.2
$303.7
$15.1
$52.7
$266.2
Total Direct Obligationsd
$5,539.5
$5,592.6
$80,790
$1,010.5
$4,662.2
Total Appropriationse
$5,352.3
$5,395.0
$4,464.6
Sources: CRS from NOAA Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2020; NOAA 2020 Budget Summary.
Notes: ORF = operations, research, and facilities; PAC= procurement, acquisition, and construction.
a. FY2019-enacted amounts do not include supplemental appropriations.
b. FY2020 base is equal to the FY2019-enacted amount plus expected Adjustments-To-Base, such as certain inflationary adjustments.
c. Proposed elimination of the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund and Fisheries Disaster Assistance Fund are not included in the FY2019
or FY2020 totals.
d. “Total Direct Obligations,” or total program or funding level, includes direct new appropriations, transfers from other NOAA accounts,
and recoveries of canceled prior-year obligations.
e. “Total Appropriations” includes the enacted or requested appropriation dol ars for the fiscal year and does not include recoveries of
canceled prior-year obligations, transfers from other NOAA accounts, or supplemental appropriations.
Changes to the Promote and Develop American
partnerships, and data purchases. NOAA’s proposal would
Fishery Products & Research Pertaining to
merge JPSS and PFO into a new subactivity called the Polar
American Fisheries Fund (P&D Fund)
Weather Satellites (PWS). The request would also organize
The P&D fund is financed through a mandatory transfer
several other FY2019 subactivities into new subactivities,
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of 30%
titled Low Earth Orbit, Geostationary Earth Orbit, and
of duties on imported fisheries products. In recent years,
Systems/Services Architecture and Engineering. The
NOAA has requested to transfer all of these funds to ORF,
Administration also proposed the creation of the PWS
but Congress has typically required that a small portion
subactivity in FY2019, but Congress directed NOAA to
fund the Saltonstall-Kennedy grants program for fisheries
retain its current satellite program structure in the FY2019
research and development projects. In FY2020, the
conference report (H.Rept. 116-9) accompanying P.L. 116-
Administration requests to directly appropriate funding to
6.
DOC to be “available for the same purposes as previous
receipt-funded activities.”
Space Commerce
Together with other agencies, DOC regulates and promotes
Future Satellite Funding
the commercial space sector, including commercial remote
NOAA provides global weather and environmental data
sensing satellites. The 115th Congress held hearings on
from satellites—such as the Joint Polar Satellite System
NOAA’s involvement in space commerce. NOAA currently
(JPSS), Polar Follow-On (PFO), Geostationary Operational
houses the Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs
Environmental Satellite (GOES)—and other remote sensing
Office (CRSRA) and Office of Space Commerce (OSC). In
technologies, to other federal agencies, the public, and the
FY2019, Congress met the Administration’s budget request
private sector. Congress has previously raised questions
for CRSRA and OSC. NOAA’s FY2020 budget request
about NOAA’s satellite programs, particularly JPSS,
would move CRSRA and OSC to the DOC, as part of the
regarding data continuity, program management, and
creation of the Bureau of Space Commerce.
budget. In FY2020, NOAA requested would restructure the
NESDIS budget and organization to “increase cost and
Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
program efficiencies” through a combination of NOAA-
owned and managed assets, partner assets, commercial
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): FY2020 Budget Request and Appropriations
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