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September 13, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2022 Appropriations
Introduction
For FY2022, the Administration requested $1.916 billion in
Congress generally funds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
discretionary funding (Table 1). This is an increase of
Service (FWS, an agency within the Department of the
$332.3 million (21.0%) over the FY2021 amount provided
Interior [DOI]) in annual appropriations laws for the
in P.L. 116-260 ($1.584 billion), which provided
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
discretionary appropriations across eight accounts for FWS.
Agencies. Discretionary appropriations for FWS fund many
The House of Representatives would appropriate $1.887
of the essential functions related to the agency’s mission,
billion in H.R. 4502, as it passed the House on July 29,
namely the conservation, protection, and enhancement of
2021 (hereinafter, H.R. 4502), an increase of $302.7 million
fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats. Discretionary
(19.1%) over the FY2021 enacted level. The House-passed
funding covers activities such as resource management and
amount was $29.6 million (1.5%) less than the
conservation, construction projects, and payments and
Administration’s FY2022 request.
grants to states and other parties. FWS also receives
mandatory appropriations, most of which are used to
Figure 1. FWS Discretionary Funding: Requested and
provide funding to states. The Administration’s FY2022
Enacted, FY2013-FY2022
request estimated $1.639 billion in mandatory
appropriations for FWS in FY2022, including funding for
land acquisition and deferred maintenance pursuant to the
Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA; P.L. 116-152).
This In Focus discusses FWS’s discretionary appropriations
and certain mandatory appropriations pursuant to GAOA.
Issues of interest to Congress may include the level of
discretionary funding for FWS and how funding is allocated
across agency programs. Congress also may consider
various policy proposals in appropriations legislation.
FWS Discretionary Appropriations
From FY2013 to FY2021, FWS received $1.531 billion
annually, on average, in discretionary funding (Figure 1).
Enacted levels exceeded requested levels in five years, and
requested levels exceeded enacted levels in four years. The
Sources: CRS; data from FWS budget justifications and enacted
FY2022 requested level is higher than the requested or
appropriations laws during these fiscal years.
enacted level for any year from FY2013 to FY2021.
Table 1. Discretionary Funding by Account, FY2021 Enacted and FY2022 Administration Request and House
Passed (H.R. 4502)
(nominal $ in millions with percentage of total in parentheses)
Account
FY2021 Enacted
FY2022 Admin.
FY2022 House
Resource Management
$1,379.8
(87.1%)
$1,679.1
(87.6%)
$1,653.8
(87.7%)
Construction
18.2
(1.1%)
39.6
(2.1%)
34.6
(1.8%)
Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
30.8
(1.9%)
42.7
(2.2%)
24.1
(1.3%)
National Wildlife Refuge Fund
13.2
(0.8%)
-
(0.0%)
13.2
(0.7%)
North American Wetlands Conservation Fund
46.5
(2.9%)
46.5
(2.4%)
50.0
(2.7%)
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund
4.9
(0.3%)
7.9
(0.4%)
6.5
(0.3%)
Multinational Species Conservation Fund
18.0
(1.1%)
18.0
(0.9%)
22.0
(1.2%)
State and Tribal Wildlife Grants
72.4
(4.6%)
82.4
(4.3%)
82.4
(4.4%)
Total (may differ from column sum due to rounding)
$1,583.9
(100%)
$1,916.2
(100%)
$1,886.6
(100%)
Sources: CRS; data from explanatory statement for H.R. 133 (P.L. 116-260), FY2022 FWS Request, H.R. 4502 passed by the House on July 29,
2021, and House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
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Resource Management Account
Accounts with No FY2022 Discretionary
The Resource Management (RM) account comprises the
Funding in the Administration’s Request
majority of the FWS discretionary appropriations (e.g.,
The Administration did not request discretionary funding
87.1% [$1.380 billion] of FWS’s discretionary funding in
for the National Wildlife Refuge Fund account in FY2022.
FY2021; Table 1). The FY2022 Administration’s request
Payments from the fund are used to help offset local tax
for the RM account is $299.3 million (21.7%) above the
losses due to the presence of tax-exempt FWS lands.
FY2021 enacted level. In FY2022, the level in H.R. 4502
Congress appropriated $13.2 million for the account in
for the account is $274.0 million (19.9%) above the
FY2021, which matched the amount in H.R. 4502. The
FY2021 enacted level and $25.3 million (1.5%) below the
Administration explained its reasoning for not requesting
FY2022 Administration’s request. The Administration
discretionary appropriations for this account by stating that
requested and H.R. 4502 included funding for the same
the fund’s purpose does not “take into account the
eight activities in FY2022 that were funded in FY2021, plus
economic benefits refuges provide to communities.” The
extra funding not under an activity (Table 2). H.R. 3684, as
Administration stated the fund is still estimated to receive
passed by the Senate on August 10, 2021, would provide an
$8.0 million in mandatory appropriations.
additional $91 million for the RM account in FY2022.
Great American Outdoors Act
Table 2. Resource Management Discretionary
GAOA was enacted on August 4, 2020, to provide
Funding, FY2021 Enacted and FY2022 Administration
mandatory funding for deferred maintenance (DM) and
Request and House Passed (H.R. 4502)
land acquisition (LA) activities for several federal land
(nominal $ in millions)
management agencies, including FWS. Prior to FY2021,
these activities were funded through discretionary
FY2021 FY2022 FY2022
appropriations. Unlike in FY2021, funds allocated pursuant
Activity
Enacted Admin. House
to GAOA in FY2022 will be subject to sequestration.
Ecological Services
$269.7
$332.1
$315.2
GAOA established the National Parks and Public Land
Legacy Restoration Fund and provided mandatory spending
Habitat Conservation
70.2
80.8
80.3
authority for the fund to address DM needs of five federal
National Wildlife Refuge System
503.9
584.4
582.1
agencies, including up to $95 million for FWS. In FY2021,
FWS received $95 million in mandatory appropriations
Conservation and Enforcement
157.8
190.3
191.6
from the fund. Reflecting sequestration, FWS proposed
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
206.6
254.9
250.5
$89.6 million for DM projects to be provided for by the
fund in FY2022. GAOA only provides mandatory spending
Cooperative Landscape
12.5
18.8
14.0
authority for FWS to cover DM projects in the National
Conservation
Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). As such, FWS’s DM
Science Support
17.3
36.4
41.8
needs outside of NWRS, including for the National Fish
Hatchery System, are still subject to discretionary funding.
General Operation
141.9
180.3
176.3
GAOA also provided mandatory spending authority for LA
Activities Totala
$1,379.8 $1,678.1 $1,651.8
and related activities to be funded from the Land and Water
General Increaseb
—
—
2.0
Conservation Fund (LWCF). In FY2021, FWS received
$111.8 million for LA activities and $11.2 million for
Damage Recovery Provisionc
—
1.0
—
species recovery LA (previously funded as part of the
Account Totala
$1,379.8 $1,679.1 $1,653.8
discretionary Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund appropriations account [CESCF]; Table
Sources: CRS, data from explanatory statement for H.R. 133 (P.L.
1) in mandatory appropriations from the LWCF. In
116-260), FY2022 FWS Request, H.R. 4502 passed by the House on
FY2022, the Administration proposed $109.7 million for
July 29, 2021, and House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
LA activities and $11.2 million for species recovery LA.
a. Total may differ from column sum due to rounding.
The House recommended that an additional activity—
b. Added by H.Amdt. 86 to H.R. 4502 in House.
habitat conservation plan (HCP) LA grants to states—be
c.
shifted to LWCF mandatory funding in FY2022. Funding
This amount was added to the Admin. request in H.Rept. 117-
83, but the provision itself was not incorporated into H.R. 4502.
for HCP LA grants in prior years was appropriated as part
of the CESCF. This shift to mandatory appropriations is, in
Other FWS Appropriations Accounts
part, the difference between the FY2022 Administration’s
In FY2021, Congress appropriated $204.0 million in
request and House-passed amount for CESCF discretionary
discretionary funding for seven other accounts that support
funding.
construction, conservation activities, financial and technical
For more information on GAOA, see CRS In Focus
assistance, and a revenue-sharing program (Table 1). In
FY2022, the Administration requested $237.1 million to
IF11636, The Great American Outdoors Act (P.L. 116-
fund six of the seven accounts, $33.1 million (16.2%) above
152).
the FY2021 enacted level. H.R. 4502 would provide $232.8
R. Eliot Crafton, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
million to fund all seven accounts in FY2022, $28.7 million
(14.1%) above the FY2021 enacted level and $4.3 million
IF11925
(1.8%) below the Administration’s FY2022 request for non-
RM accounts.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2022 Appropriations
Disclaimer
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11925 · VERSION 1 · NEW