FY2019 Military Construction Appropriations: An Overview of H.R. 5895 and Issues in Conference

FY2019 Military Construction Appropriations: An Overview of H.R. 5895 and Issues in Conference

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Updated August 30, 2018
FY2019 Military Construction Appropriations: An Overview of
H.R. 5895 and Issues in Conference
On February 12, 2018, President Donald Trump submitted
respectively)—and approximately 1% less than the FY2019
his FY2019 budget to Congress requesting $11.4 billion in
President’s budget request (see Table 1 and Figure 1).
new budget authority for Department of Defense (DOD)
While the total amounts are similar, the House and Senate
military construction and family housing projects. On June
versions of the bill contain different funding amounts for
8, the House passed the Energy and Water, Legislative
numerous projects (see “Selected Highlights” section).
Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
Title I includes appropriations for military construction,
Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 5895), a minibus package
including funding for planning, designing, constructing,
that included an amended version of H.R. 5786, the military
altering, and improving military facilities worldwide. Title I
construction appropriations bill reported by the House
also includes funding for:
Appropriations Committee (HAC). The Senate replaced the
text of the House-passed bill in part with the text of S.
 The U.S. portion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization
3024, the version of the military construction appropriations
(NATO) Security Investment Program, which acquires
reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC).
military facilities and installations (including
On June 25, the Senate passed its amended version of the
international military headquarters) and covers expenses
minibus package. The House and Senate are currently in
related to collective defense.
conference.
 The DOD Base Closure Account, which finances
The House and Senate versions of the bill would each
environmental restoration and mitigation activities,
provide approximately $11.2 billion in new budget
property disposal, and other costs incurred at military
authority for DOD military construction and family housing
installations closed or realigned as part of the Base
projects in the United States and abroad. The amount
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.
includes approximately $10.3 billion in the base budget and
 Military family housing construction activities,
$921.4 million designated for Overseas Contingency
operation and maintenance, and the Family Housing
Operations (OCO). Both versions would provide
Improvement Fund, which finances an initiative to
approximately 4% less than the amount enacted for military
privatize on-base housing.
construction in FY2018—including the FY2018
appropriations bill (Division J of P.L. 115-141) and the
Title IV includes military construction appropriations
emergency supplemental bills for missile defense and
designated for OCO.
hurricane relief (P.L. 115-96 and P.L. 115-123,
Table 1. FY2019 Military Construction Appropriations
(in billions of dollars of discretionary budget authority)
Appropriations Title
FY2018 Enacted
FY2019 Request
House-Passed H.R.
Senate-Passed H.R.
Appropriations
5895
5895
Title I - Military
$9.6
$8.9
$8.7
$8.7
Construction
Title I - Family Housing
$1.4
$1.6
$1.6
$1.6
Subtotal, Title I -
$11.0
$10.5
$10.3
$10.3
DOD Military
Construction
Title IV - Overseas
$0.8
$0.9
$0.9
$0.9
Contingency
Operations (OCO)
Total
$11.8
$11.4
$11.3
$11.2
Sources: Table prepared by CRS based on Comparative Statements of New Budget Authority for H.R. 5895 provided by HAC and SAC.
Notes: Totals may not reconcile due to rounding. FY2018 enacted appropriations include amounts from P.L. 115-96, P.L. 115-123, and P.L.
115-141; FY2018 enacted appropriations, FY2019 request, and House-passed, and Senate-passed amounts from Comparative Statements of
New Budget Authority for H.R. 5895.
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FY2019 Military Construction Appropriations: An Overview of H.R. 5895 and Issues in Conference
Selected Highlights
Figure 1. Military Construction and Family Housing
Force Protection and Safety. Section 131 of the House bill
Appropriations
would add $150 million to enhance force protection and
(in billions of FY2019 dollars)
safety on military installations. The funding is designed “to
alleviate deficiencies in access control points, air traffic
control towers, fire stations, and [anti-terrorism/force
protection] deficiencies,” the committee report states.
BRAC. The House bill would appropriate $322.4 million
for the BRAC account, $54.9 million more than the request.
RED HORSE. Section 128 of the Senate bill would not
allow the use of funds to consolidate or relocate any
element of a U.S. Air Force Rapid Engineer Deployable
Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer (RED
HORSE)—construction units that help establish new bases
on short notice—outside of the United States until the
Secretary of the Air Force submits a cost analysis on the

proposal to the congressional defense committees.
Source: Chart prepared by CRS using DOD, National Defense Budget
Access Roads. Section 129 of the Senate bill would add
Estimates for FY2019, Tables 6-8 and 5-6, April 2018; Comparative
$30 million for the Defense Access Roads project to
Statements of New Budget Authority for H.R. 5895.
improve public highways affected by defense activity and
Notes: FY2001 through FY2017 actual figures from DOD Table 6-8,
to acquire land for Arlington National Cemetery.
FY2018 enacted figures and FY2019 recommended figures from
Major Project Changes. According to H.Rept. 115-673,
Comparative Statements of New Budget Authority for H.R. 5895;
the report accompanying the HAC-reported version of the
FY2018 figures adjusted by CRS using DOD deflators for military
FY2019 military construction bill, and S.Rept. 115-269, the
construction and family housing in Table 5-6.
report accompanying the SAC-reported version of the bill,

lawmakers recommended funding changes totaling
The House bill would provide $60 million for an
hundreds of millions of dollars to dozens of projects,
operations facility at the Naval Observatory in
including the following:
Washington, DC, $55.6 million less than the request;

however, the Senate bill would provide $40 million for
The House bill would provide $69 million in OCO
the facility, $75.6 million less than the request.
funding for a high value detention facility at Naval

Station Guantanamo Bay, as requested; however, the
The House bill would provide $173.4 million for a new
Senate would provide no such funding.
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency campus in St.

Louis—known as Next NGA West—$40.2 million less
The House bill would provide $123.1 million for the Air
Force’s pr
than the request; however, the Senate bill would provide
esidential aircraft recapitalization complex at
$181.6 million for the site, $32 million less than the
Joint Base Andrews, MD, $30.9 million less than the
request
request; however, the Senate bill would provide $129.1

million for the complex, $24.9 million less than the
Both the House and Senate bills would deny the $22
request.
million requested for The Basic School (TBS) fire

station at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA.
The House bill would provide $40 million for the Air
Force’s MIT Lincoln Laboratory at

Hanscom Air Force
Both the House and Senate bills would deny the $10
Base, MA, $185 million less than the request; however,
million requested for the ambulatory care center
the Senate bill would provide $90 million for the lab,
addition at Royal Air Force Croughton, UK.
$135 million less than the request.
More Information
 The House bill would provide $40 million for the
CRS Report R45217, FY2018 Military Construction
Kinnick High School in Yokosuka, Japan, $130.4
Authorizations and Appropriations
million less than the request; however, the Senate bill
would provide $60 million for the school, $110.4
CRS In Focus IF10866, The President’s FY2019 Military
million less than the request.
Construction Budget Request
 Both the House and Senate bills would provide $60
CRS Report R44710, Military Construction: Process, Outcomes,
million for the aircraft maintenance hangar at Cherry
and Frequently Asked Questions
Point Marine Corps Air Station, NC, $74 million less

than the request.
 The House bill would provide $70 million for a machine Brendan W. McGarry, Analyst in US Defense Budget
gun range at the Navy’s Joint Region Marianas, Guam,
Christopher T. Mann, Analyst in Defense Policy and
$71.3 million less than the request; however, the Senate
Trade
bill would provide $50 million for the range, $91.3
million less than the request.
IF10965

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FY2019 Military Construction Appropriations: An Overview of H.R. 5895 and Issues in Conference

Disclaimer
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