U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2023 Appropriations

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2023 Appropriations

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Updated April 20, 2023
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2023 Appropriations
Congress generally funds civil works activities of the U.S.
O&M of certain categories of projects (i.e., similar to
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in annual Energy and
additional funding provided through annual appropriations
Water Development appropriations acts. These activities
in FY2014-FY2022). Other supplemental appropriations
include the planning and construction of authorized water
acts with FY2023 funding for USACE included P.L. 117-
resource projects and operation and maintenance (O&M) of
180, which designated $20 million for USACE
infrastructure and navigation improvements managed by
environmental infrastructure assistance, and the
USACE. USACE directly commits funds for project
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58).
planning and construction. It uses most of its appropriations
Of IIJA’s $17.10 billion for USACE, $1.08 billion was
for work on specific studies and projects authorized by
made available in FY2023 (e.g., $1.00 billion for navigation
Congress. Nonfederal project sponsors or users often share
O&M activities). For more information, see CRS In Focus
in project construction costs. For more on the USACE
IF11945, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Supplemental
appropriations process, see CRS Report R46320, U.S. Army
Appropriations.
Corps of Engineers: Annual Appropriations Process.
Table 1. USACE Appropriations in P.L. 117-328
For FY2023 annual appropriations, Congress provided
$8.31 billion (26% above the FY2023 President’s budget
Appropriations
Amount to Be
Administration
request; see Figure 1) in the Energy and Water
Assigned by
Document
Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
Administration
2023 (Division D, Title I, Consolidated Appropriations Act,
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies
2023; P.L. 117-328).
Appropriations Act, 2023 (Title I of Division D, P.L. 117-328)
Figure 1. Annual USACE Budget Requests and Annual
$8.31 B annual
$0.56 B in
FY2023 Work
Appropriations, FY2016-FY2023
appropriations
additional funding
Plans
(nominal $, in bil ions)
Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (Title IV of
Division N, P.L. 117-328)
$1.48 B
$0.35 B similar to
FY2023 Work
supplemental
additional funding
Plans
appropriations
$1.13 B for natural FY2023 Disaster
disaster-related
Relief Spend
activities
Plans
Source: CRS using appropriations acts and USACE budget website.
Note: B= bil ion; $5 mil ion from Division N for disaster-related
activities was for expenses, which USACE did not assign to specific
studies or projects in its spend plans. Does not reflect other FY2023
supplemental appropriations from P.L. 117-58 and P.L. 117-180.
USACE FY2023 Annual Appropriations
The O&M account, which funds maintenance of existing
USACE infrastructure, accounted for 61% of USACE’s
FY2023 annual appropriations (see Figure 2). In Division
Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on USACE
D, Congress provided $684 million less for the
budget request press books and enacted appropriations laws.
Construction account and $100 million more for the
Note: Does not reflect supplemental appropriations, including those
Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program account
provided by Division N of P.L. 117-328.
in FY2023 than in FY2022. Division N and other acts
provided supplemental appropriations for various accounts
In addition to annual appropriations, Congress provided
in FY2023, including the Construction and O&M accounts.
supplemental appropriations to USACE for FY2023 in the
same act (outlined in Table 1). Of the $1.48 billion in
Newly funded USACE studies and projects are commonly
emergency supplemental funds provided by the Disaster
referred to as new starts. Pursuant to direction in the joint
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division N
explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 117-328,
of P.L. 117-328), $350 million was made available for
Congress funded a “limited number” of new starts; these
USACE to allocate in a work plan to construction and
included the Administration’s request for 3 new studies and
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2023 Appropriations
12 requests for studies from Members (see below). Division
that USACE al ocated in FY2023 work plans along with additional
N funded four new construction starts and one new study.
funding from annual appropriations. Other supplemental
appropriations are not included.
Figure 2. USACE FY2016-FY2023 Annual
Appropriations, Percentage of Total by Account
For FY2023 appropriations, in addition to providing funds
for the President’s requested studies and projects, Congress
in the joint explanatory statement (1) funded $1.02 billion
for CDP/CDS items and (2) provided $562 million in
additional funding, with direction to USACE to develop
work plans to distribute funds to individual studies and
projects. As stated above, Division N of P.L. 117-328
provided an additional $350 million in emergency funding
for categories of construction and O&M activities for
USACE to also allocate to specific projects in work plans.
USACE allocated the $350 million from Division N along
with additional funding provided by Division D in its
FY2023 work plans.
Continuing Authorities Programs
USACE plans and constructs projects of limited scope and
cost without project-specific authorizations through its
Continuing Authorities Programs (CAPs; see CRS In Focus
Source: CRS, based on enacted appropriations laws.
IF11106, Army Corps of Engineers: Continuing Authorities
Notes: ASA = Assistant Secretary of the Army; FUSRAP = Formerly
Programs). President Biden’s FY2023 request included
Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program; Regulatory = Regulatory
$4.5 million for four of the nine authorized CAPs. FY2023
Program; WIFIP = Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
annual appropriations funded nine CAPs at $72.3 million
Program. Does not reflect supplemental appropriations, including
total, including $1.6 million for CPF/CDS projects.
those provided by Division N of P.L. 117-328.
Environmental Infrastructure Assistance
Congressionally Directed Funding and Work Plans
Since 1992, Congress has authorized and funded USACE to
From the 112th to the 116th Congresses, moratorium policies
provide environmental infrastructure (EI) assistance (e.g.,
design and construction of municipal drinking water and
limited congressionally directed funding of site-specific
wastewater infrastructure projects in specified locations).
studies and projects, sometimes referred to as earmarks.
The 117th Congress included funding in annual
(See CRS Report R47162, Overview of U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Environmental Infrastructure (EI) Assistance.)
appropriations for geographically specific studies and
For FY2023, the Administration did not request funding for
projects that were requested by Members of Congress (i.e.,
community project funding/congressionally directed
EI assistance. FY2023 annual appropriations under
spending items, CPF/CDS items; see Figure 3).
Division D provided $130.5 million for specific EI
assistance authorities as CPF/CDS. Division N provided
Figure 3. USACE Annual Appropriations for
$18.0 million in emergency funding for these authorities,
Individual Studies and Projects, FY2016-FY2023
which USACE allocated in a work plan.
(nominal $, in bil ions)
Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program
In 2014, Congress authorized USACE to provide credit
assistance, in the form of secured or direct loans, for a
range of water resource projects (33 U.S.C. §§3901-3914).
In FY2021, Congress created a new USACE account (the
Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program
account) to fund this credit assistance through a new Corps
Water Infrastructure Financing Program. Program funds
provided in FY2021 and FY2022 covered subsidy and
administrative costs for financial assistance for nonfederal
dam safety projects. FY2023 annual appropriations
provided an additional $7.2 million for administrative costs.
(See CRS Insight IN12021, Corps Water Infrastructure
Financing Program (CWIFP) for information on efforts to
stand up the program.)

Source: CRS, using enacted appropriations laws and reports.
Anna E. Normand, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
Notes: CPF/CDS = community project funding/congressional y
Nicole T. Carter, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
directed spending. Continuing Authorities Programs and the Tribal
Partnership Program are not included. The bar for FY2023 includes
IF12090
$350 mil ion provided by Division N of P.L. 117-328 (hashed amount)
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2023 Appropriations

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