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Updated November 9, 2023
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Figure 1. ORF and PAC Annual Direct Obligations,
(NOAA) is an agency in the Department of Commerce
FY2014-FY2024 ($ in billions, nominal and adjusted)
whose mission is to understand and predict changes in
weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; share that information;
and 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’s Mission Support
provides planning, leadership, finances, information
technology, educational programming, and other support
across the 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 acts. Discretionary appropriations support
Sources: CRS, from NOAA budget justifications, congressional
two broad accounts—Operations, Research, and Facilities
explanatory statements, and Office of Management and Budget,
(ORF) and Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction
Historical Tables, Table 10.1.
(PAC)—as well as a few smaller accounts. This product
focuses on NOAA’s FY2024 discretionary funding for ORF
Notes: ORF = Operations, Research, and Facilities; PAC =
and PAC. It also notes potential topics of interest for
Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction. Figure does not include
Congress from NOAA’s FY2024 budget request, including
supplemental appropriations. Direct obligations include
NOAA’s satellite operations, science and data for economic
appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior year obligations.
development, and climate-related products and services.
Supplemental Appropriations Available in FY2024
Agency Funding
Congress also has made supplemental appropriations
available to NOAA for ORF and PAC, including
NOAA requested over $7.1 billion in discretionary direct
•
obligations for ORF and PAC for FY2024, including
$52.2 million for expenses related to hurricanes and
almost $6.8 billion in appropriations (Figure 1 and Table
wildfires in 2020 and 2021, through FY2024 (P.L. 117-
1). NOAA requested a total of $7.3 billion in direct
43);
obligations for all accounts. Direct obligations include
• $1.2 billion for restoration, observation, modeling,
annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior
forecasting activities, and other purposes, through
year obligations. For FY2023, Congress provided $6.5
FY2024 (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; P.L.
billion in annual ORF and PAC direct obligations and an
117-58);
additional $150.8 million in supplemental funding through
P.L. 117-328, for a total of $6.7 billion (Table 1).
• $3.3 billion for conservation, restoration, protection,
According to NOAA, the supplemental amounts are
construction, reviews, research and forecasting,
considered “base or discretionary funding designated as
computing, aircraft acquisition, and other purposes,
emergency.” Supplemental appropriations are described in
through FY2026 (Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; P.L.
the right column. For FY2024, H.R. 5893, as introduced,
117-169); and
would provide a total of $5.8 billion in direct obligations; S.
• $527.5 million for expenses related to hurricanes,
2321, as reported, would provide $6.9 billion in direct
typhoons, flooding, and wildfires in 2022; fishing gear
obligations.
and techniques; aircraft acquisition; and other uses,
through FY2024 or until expended (P.L. 117-328, of
which $150.8 million is included in Table 1 amounts).
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations
Table 1. NOAA Annual Direct Obligations and Appropriations for Discretionary ORF and PAC Accounts
($ in millions, nominal)
FY2023
FY2024
FY2024
H.R. 5893 and
S. 2321 and
FY2024
Line Office and CPF/CDS
Enacteda
Base Levelb
Requestb Related Exp. Mat.c
S.Rept. 118-62
Enacted
NESDIS
1,705.7
1,716.5
2,073.9
1,490.5
1,916.7
NA
NMFS
1,093.3
1,161.7
1,154.9
890.2
1,112.8
NA
NOS
693.4
744.4
687.7
644.7
694.7
NA
NWS
1,356.7
1,403.9
1,380.1
1,164.5
1,353.6
NA
OAR
761.3
792.0
786.3
706.1
751.3
NA
OMAO
460.7
469.9
459.0
379.4
447.7
NA
Mission Support
503.8
533.5
605.6
370.2
494.8
NA
CPF/CDS
111.5
37.7
0
(57.0 within NOS)
85.2
NA
Total Direct Obligationsd
6,686.4
6,821.9
7,147.4
5,771.3
6,856.7
NA
Total Appropriationse
6,305.5
6,430.8
6,756.3
5,380.3
6,455.7
NA
Sources: CRS using the explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 117-328; NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2024, Congressional Submission;
H.R. 5893, as introduced; explanatory materials for H.R. 5893 (October 31, 2023); S.Rept. 118-62; and S. 2321, as reported.
Notes: CPF/CDS = community project funding/congressional y directed spending; Exp. Mat. = explanatory material; NA = not available. See
text for additional abbreviations. Components may not sum to totals shown due to rounding. Values are rounded to the nearest tenth.
a. Amounts include both FY2023 annual direct obligations and the supplemental appropriations in Division N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
b. NOAA calculated the FY2024 base level as equal to the FY2023 enacted amount plus expected “Adjustments-To-Base,” such as certain
inflationary adjustments.
c. Total direct obligations amounts in H.R. 5893 and tables in the explanatory materials differ ($5,771,300,000 vs. $5,645,623,000). Table 1
shows the line office amounts from the explanatory materials and the total direct obligations amount from H.R. 5893.
d. 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 some supplemental appropriations from
Division N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
e. Total Appropriations are a part of the total direct obligations. Total Appropriations include annual appropriations but exclude any
supplemental appropriations, except FY2023 Enacted includes some supplemental appropriations from Division N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
Issues for Congress
science and technology to create value-added, data-driven
NOAA’s FY2024 requested budget proposed changes to
sustainable economic development, with a particular focus
multiple activities, the largest portion of which was
on the New Blue Economy.” NOAA’s requested increases
increased funding for activities under the agency-identified
include $88.0 million ($70.0 million enacted in FY2023)
themes of satellites, science and data for economic
for the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) and $223.2
development activities, and climate products and services.
million ($203.9 million enacted in FY2023) to minimize the
The agency also proposed reducing or eliminating funding
effects of offshore wind energy activities on NMFS
for several activities across all of the line offices.
scientific surveys. The explanatory materials would provide
Satellites
$40.0 million for OSC and did not state an amount for these
NOAA’s NESDIS request includes increases for the Polar
NMFS activities, while S.Rept. 118-62 would maintain the
Weather Satellites (PWS) and Geostationary Extended
FY2023 amounts for OSC and NMFS in FY2024.
Observations (GeoXO) programs. PWS includes the Joint
Climate Products and Services
Polar Satellite System and Polar Follow-On missions,
NOAA requested additional funding across all of the line
which provide global meteorological observations for short-
offices to continue implementing E.O. 14008, “Tackling the
and midterm forecasts and weather warnings. GeoXO is the
Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” Under the theme, the
next generation of space-based environmental monitoring
agency requested $87.9 million for the National Marine
satellites. NOAA requested $342.4 million ($183.5 million
Sanctuary System (NMSS; $68.0 million enacted in
enacted in FY2023) for PWS and $417.4 million ($285.0
FY2023) and $224.3 million ($204.0 million enacted in
million enacted in FY2023) for GeoXO programs. Both the
FY2023) for OMAO for at-sea data collection and mission
explanatory materials for H.R. 5893 and S.Rept. 118-62
requirements. The explanatory materials would provide
accompanying S. 2321 would provide the requested amount
$61.0 million for NMSS and $166.0 million for OMAO
for PWS and did not state an amount for GeoXO.
activities; S.Rept. 118-62 would maintain the FY2023
amounts for NMSS and OMAO in FY2024.
Science and Data for Economic Development
NOAA requested additional funding for NMFS, NOS,
Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
NWS, OAR, and MS for activities that “foster
IF12406
environmental stewardship and optimize advances in
https://crsreports.congress.gov
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations
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