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Updated May 2, 2019
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2019 Appropriations
Introduction
Figure 1. FWS Discretionary Funding Enacted and
Congress generally funds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Administration Requests, FY2010-FY2019
Service (FWS, an agency within the Department of the
Interior) in Title I of annual appropriations laws for the
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies. Discretionary appropriations for FWS fund most
of the essential functions related to the agency’s mission,
namely the conservation, protection, and enhancement of
fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats. Discretionary
funding covers activities including resource management
and conservation, construction projects, land acquisition,
and payments and grants to states and other parties. FWS
also receives mandatory appropriations, most of which are
disbursed directly to states. In FY2019, mandatory
appropriations for FWS were estimated at $1.57 billion in
the Administration’s FY2019 request for FWS. This
product focuses on the agency’s discretionary
appropriations.
FWS Discretionary Appropriations
Sources: CRS, with data from FWS budget justifications and enacted
appropriations.
Enacted FY2019 appropriations (included in Division E of
P.L. 116-6) provided $1.578 billion in discretionary funding
From FY2010 through FY2019, FWS received $1.52
for FWS, which is $17.0 million (1.1%) less than the
billion annually, on average, in discretionary funding.
FY2018 enacted level of $1.595 billion (included in
Enacted appropriations exceeded requested amounts in four
Division G of P.L. 115-141). The FY2019 enacted level
years, and requested levels were higher than enacted levels
exceeded the Administration’s FY2019 request by $351.5
in six years (Figure 1).
million (28.7%) (Table 1). FWS appropriations are
provided for nine accounts (Table 1).
Table 1. FWS Appropriations by Account, FY2018 and FY2019
(nominal $ in millions)
FY2018
FY2019
FY2019
Account
Enacted
Request
Enacted
Resource Management
$1,279.0
1,130.6
1,292.1
Construction
66.5
13.7
54.1
Land Acquisition
63.8
7.0
65.2
Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
53.5
—
46.0
National Wildlife Refuge Fund
13.2
—
13.2
North American Wetlands Conservation Fund
40.0
33.6
42.0
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund
3.9
3.9
3.9
Multinational Species Conservation Fund
11.1
6.0
11.6
State and Tribal Wildlife Grants
63.6
31.3
64.6
Total
1,594.6
1,226.1
1,577.6a
Sources: CRS, with data from explanatory statement accompanying H.R. 1625 (P.L. 115-141), FWS FY2019 budget justification, and H.Rept.
116-9 accompanying H.J.Res. 31 (P.L. 116-6).
a. Total includes a $15 mil ion rescission of Coastal Impact Assistance Program grants.
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(NWRF)—stating that funding was needed for “higher
Resource Management Account
priorities.” The Administration also proposed eliminating
The Resource Management (RM) account comprises the
eight activities across three other accounts (Table 3).
majority of the FWS discretionary budget. In FY2019, P.L.
Higher priorities were primarily cited, although for Science
116-6 included $1.292 billion for the RM account. The RM
Support, the request stated that functions would be covered
account funds eight activities (Table 2).
by other programs.
Table 2. FWS Resource Management Appropriations
None of the proposed eliminations was enacted in P.L. 116-
by Activity, FY2018 and FY2019
6, although one of the accounts (CESCF) and two of the
(nominal $ in millions)
activities (Cooperative Landscape Conservation and Land
Acquisition Projects) received less in FY2019 than in
FY2018 FY2019 FY2019
FY2018 (Table 3). The other account (NWRF) and five
Activity
Enacted Request Enacted
activities across the three accounts received the same level
of funding in FY2018 and FY2019, and one activity,
Ecological Services
$247.8
211.8
251.8
Highlands Conservation Act Grants in the Land Acquisition
Habitat Conservation
65.0
42.3
65.0
appropriations account, received twice the funding in
FY2019 ($20 million) as compared to FY2018 ($10
National Wildlife Refuge System
486.8
473.1
488.3
million) (Table 3).
Conservation and Enforcement
141.3
130.2
141.3
Table 3. Proposed Eliminations in FY2019 Request
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
164.6
133.9
167.2
with FY2018 and FY2019 Enacted Funding Levels
Cooperative Landscape
(nominal $ in millions)
13.0
—
12.5
Conservation
Account and Activity
FY2018 FY2019
Science Support
17.3
—
17.3
Account
General Operation
143.2
139.4
148.7
Cooperative Endangered Species
Total
1,279.0 1,130.6 1,292.1
$53.5
$46.0
Conservation Fund
Sources: CRS, with data from explanatory statement accompanying
National Wildlife Refuge Fund
13.2
13.2
H.R. 1625 (P.L. 115-141), FWS FY2019 budget justification, and
H.Rept. 116-9 accompanying H.J.Res. 31 (P.L. 116-6).
Activity (Account)
Cooperative Landscape Conservation
Other FWS Accounts
13.0
12.5
(RM)
For the eight other appropriations accounts, FY2019
enacted funding levels decreased, increased, or maintained
Science Support (RM)
17.3
17.3
FY2018 enacted levels depending on the account (Table 1).
Land Protection Planning (LA)
0.5
0.5
The Construction account funds engineering design and
Highlands Conservation Act Grants
10.0
20.0
construction throughout FWS facilities and infrastructure
(LA)
through four activities: Line Item Construction Projects,
Recreational Access (LA)
2.5
2.5
Bridge and Dam Safety Programs, Nationwide Engineering
Services, and Deferred Maintenance. In FY2019, the
Land Acquisition Projects (LA)
31.3
22.6
Construction account received $54.1 million, which
State Wildlife Grants (Competitive)
amounted to a decrease of $12.4 million (18.7%) compared
6.4
6.4
(STWG)
to the FY2018 enacted level of $66.5 million (Table 1).
Tribal Wildlife Grants (STWG)
4.2
4.2
Funding for the Land Acquisition account is used to acquire
Sources: CRS, with data from explanatory statement accompanying
land for recreation and conservation purposes. The Land
H.R. 1625 (P.L. 115-141), FWS FY2019 budget justification, and
Acquisition account received $65.2 million in FY2019, a
H.Rept. 116-9 accompanying H.J.Res. 31 (P.L. 116-6).
$1.4 million (2.1%) increase over the FY2018 enacted level
of $63.8 million (Table 1).
Notes: RM = Resource Management; LA = Land Acquisition; STWG
= State and Tribal Wildlife Grants.
The remaining accounts relate to FWS conservation,
financial assistance, and other programs that support grants
R. Eliot Crafton, rcrafton@crs.loc.gov, 7-7229
and financial and technical assistance programs for state,
tribal, and international partners and other stakeholders
IF10846
(Table 1).
Proposed Funding Eliminations
In its FY2019 request, the Administration proposed
eliminating two of FWS’s discretionary appropriations
accounts—Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation
Fund (CESCF) and National Wildlife Refuge Fund
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