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Updated February 27, 2023
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
FY2023 Budget Request and Appropriations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Figure 1. ORF and PAC Annual Direct Obligations,
(NOAA) is an agency of the Department of Commerce
FY2014-FY2023 ($ in billions, nominal and adjusted)
whose mission is to understand and predict changes in
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 is supported by Mission Support
(MS), which provides planning, leadership, finances,
information technology, educational programming, and
other support across NOAA’s line offices.
Congress provides NOAA with annual mandatory and
discretionary appropriations. Mandatory appropriations,
which generally comprise a small percentage of total
NOAA funding, are disbursed to various accounts that
support programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. NOAA’s
discretionary appropriations typically are included in the
annual Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
appropriations act. Discretionary appropriations support
Sources: CRS, from NOAA budget justifications, congressional
two broad accounts—Operations, Research, and Facilities
explanatory statements, and OMB, Historical Tables, Table 10.1.
(ORF) and Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction
Notes: ORF = Operations, Research, and Facilities; PAC =
(PAC)—as well as a few smaller accounts. This CRS
Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction. Figure does not include
product focuses on NOAA’s FY2023 discretionary funding
supplemental appropriations. Lighter shaded areas denote amounts
for ORF and PAC. The product also notes potential issues
adjusted for inflation. Direct obligations include appropriations,
for Congress, including NOAA’s satellite operations,
transfers, and recoveries from prior year obligations.
climate-related products and services, and economic
development activities.
Supplemental Appropriations Available in FY2023
Agency Funding
Congress also has provided NOAA with supplemental
appropriations for ORF and PAC that may be used through
NOAA requested $7.20 billion in discretionary direct
FY2023 and beyond, including
obligations for ORF and PAC for FY2023, including $6.82
billion in appropriations (Table 1). Direct obligations
$145.0 million for expenses related to hurricanes and
include annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries
wildfires in 2020 and 2021 (P.L. 117-43);
from prior year obligations. Congress provided $6.54
$2.79 billion for restoration, observation, modeling,
billion for ORF and PAC direct obligations for FY2023 in
forecasting activities, and other purposes (Infrastructure
P.L. 117-328 (Figure 1), including $6.15 billion in
Investment and Jobs Act [IIJA]; P.L. 117-58);
appropriations. Figure 1 does not show supplemental
appropriations; Table 1 includes some supplemental funds.
$3.31 billion for conservation, restoration, protection,
construction, reviews, research and forecasting,
The FY2023 enacted amounts included $111.5 million for
computing capacity, aircraft acquisition, and other
community project funding or congressionally directed
purposes (P.L. 117-169, often referred to as the Inflation
spending items. The NOAA FY2023 enacted annual
Reduction Act of 2022); and
amount is $426.0 million above the FY2022 enacted level
$527.5 million for expenses related to hurricanes,
and $660.0 million below the FY2023 requested amount.
typhoons, flooding, and wildfires in 2022; fishing gear
and techniques; aircraft acquisition and other uses (P.L.
117-328)
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Table 1. NOAA Direct Obligations and Appropriations for Discretionary ORF and PAC Accounts
($ in millions, nominal)
Line Office and CPF/CDS
FY2022 Enacted FY2023 Base Levela FY2023 Request
FY2023 Enactedb
NESDIS
1,617.1
1,524.2
2,282.9
1,705.7
NMFS
1,016.0
1,020.8
1,106.4
1,093.3
NOS
649.2
650.1
695.4
693.4
NWS
1,281.7
1,282.1
1,323.4
1,356.7
OAR
647.9
630.2
774.8
761.3
OMAO
436.8
395.3
417.7
460.7
Mission Support
376.5
379.0
595.6
503.8
CPF/CDS
84.4
NA
NA
111.5
Total Direct Obligationsc
6,109.5
5,881.7
7,196.2
6,686.4
Total Appropriationsd
5,830.0
5,502.3
6,816.9
6,305.5
Sources: CRS using the explanatory statements accompanying P.L. 117-103 and P.L. 117-328; NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2023,
Congressional Submission.
Notes: CPF/CDS = community project funding/congressional y directed spending; NA = not available/not applicable. See text for additional
abbreviations. Components may not sum to totals shown due to rounding.
a. NOAA calculated the FY2023 base level as equal to the FY2022 continuing resolution amount plus expected “Adjustments-To-Base,” such
as certain inflationary adjustments.
b. Amounts include both FY2023 annual direct obligations and the supplemental appropriations in Division N, Title II, as documented in the
explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 117-328.
c. Total Direct Obligations, or total program or funding levels, include annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior year
obligations, but exclude any supplemental appropriations, except FY2023 Enacted includes supplemental appropriations from Division N,
Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
d. Total Appropriations are a part of the total direct obligations. Total Appropriations include annual appropriations but exclude any
supplemental appropriations, except FY2023 Enacted includes supplemental appropriations from Division N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
Issues for Congress
funds to optimize and upgrade the program used to
NOAA’s FY2023 requested budget proposed increased
disseminate weather-related information. In FY2023,
funding for multiple activities, the largest portion of which
Congress broadly provided the requested funding.
was requested for satellites, climate products and services,
and economic development activities.
The agency proposed also eliminating funding for the
National Coastal Resilience Fund (to be funded with
Satellite Operations
monies from IIJA) and the COASTAL Act of 2012 (P.L.
NOAA, through NESDIS, manages several portfolios of
112-141); however, Congress provided FY2022 levels of
environmental satellites. The agency requested $2.28 billion
appropriations for each program.
for NESDIS in FY2023, an increase of $758.7 million
above the FY2023 base level (Table 1). NOAA’s largest
Economic Development
proposed increase was $653.8 million for the Geostationary
NOAA requested $212.5 million above the FY2023 base
Extended Observations (GeoXO) program, for a total
level, across NESDIS, NMFS, NOS, OAR, and MS, for
program request of $663.8 million in FY2023. GeoXO
activities to “foster environmental stewardship and
contributes data to weather forecasts and detects and
sustainable economic development, with a particular focus
monitors environmental hazards (e.g., wildfires, smoke,
on the New Blue Economy.” The agency requested the
fog). Congress provided $285.0 million for GeoXO in
largest increases under this theme to improve space
FY2023. In addition, from FY2020 to FY2023, NOAA
situational awareness (i.e., keeping track of objects in orbit)
requested to reorganize the NESDIS budget structure by
and to procure and evaluate phased array radar technology,
grouping individual satellite missions. Congress largely
as a potential replacement for the current NEXRAD radar
approved the changes.
network; Congress provided some of the requested
additional funding. NOAA also had requested funds to
Climate Products and Services
establish a national program to mitigate the effects of
NOAA requested $350.4 million above the FY2023 base
offshore wind energy activities on NMFS scientific
level, across the line offices, to implement Executive Order
surveys; it is unclear from available appropriations
14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.”
materials whether Congress provided these funds.
The largest proposed increases included additional days at
sea to collect data, additional funding for research and
Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
development related to high-performance computing, and
IF12156
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2023 Budget Request and Appropriations
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