U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2023 Appropriations

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2023 Appropriations

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September 30, 2022
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2023 Appropriations
Introduction
the Administration’s FY2023 request. The Senate-
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency
introduced bill, S. 4686, would appropriate $1.84 billion for
within the Department of the Interior (DOI), has a mission
FWS in FY2023, $192.4 million (11.7%) above the
to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants
FY2022 enacted level and $134.0 million (6.8%) below the
and their habitats. Congress funds FWS through
FY2023 request. There is no Senate-passed bill as of the
discretionary and mandatory appropriations. FWS
date on this In Focus.
discretionary appropriations typically are included in the
annual Department of the Interior, Environment, and
Figure 1. FWS Discretionary Funding: Requested and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Discretionary
Enacted, FY2014-FY2023 (nominal $ in billions)
appropriations fund many activities related to the agency’s
mission, such as resource management and conservation,
construction projects, and payments and grants to states and
other parties. This In Focus pertains primarily to annual
discretionary funding for FWS for FY2023.
FWS Discretionary Appropriations
From FY2014 to FY2022, FWS received $1.54 billion
annually, on average, in discretionary funding (Figure 1).
For FY2023, the Administration requested $1.97 billion in
discretionary funding (Table 1). This would be an increase
of $326.4 million (19.8%) over the FY2022 enacted amount
of $1.65 billion in P.L. 117-103, Division G, which
provided discretionary appropriations across eight accounts
for FWS. The FY2023 requested level is higher than the
requested or enacted level (in nominal dollars) for any year
from FY2014 to FY2022. For FY2023, the House-passed

bill, H.R. 8294, Division E, would appropriate $1.88 billion
Sources: CRS; data from FWS budget justifications and House and
for FWS, an increase of $230.8 million (14.0%) over the
Senate Committees on Appropriations.
FY2022 enacted level and $95.6 million (4.8%) less than
Table 1. Discretionary Funding by Account for FWS
(nominal $ in millions)
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023
FY2023
Account
Enacted
Admin.
H.R. 8294
S. 4686
Resource Management
$1,451.5
$1,746.1
$1,649.8
$1,603.8
Construction
11.6a
46.4
32.9
46.4b
Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
23.1a
23.7
24.6
24.1
National Wildlife Refuge Fund
13.2
—
13.2
13.2
North American Wetlands Conservation Fund
48.5
46.5
50.0
48.5
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund
5.0
7.9
5.1
5.5
Multinational Species Conservation Fund
20.0
19.0
25.5
20.0
State and Tribal Wildlife Grants
72.6
82.4
75.4
76.5
Total (may differ from column sum due to rounding)
$1,645.6
$1,972.0
$1,876.4
$1,838.1
Sources: CRS; data from House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
a. This figure includes a rescission/cancellation of unobligated balances.
b. This figure does not include the $63.1 million in emergency funding included in Title V of S. 4686 in response to natural disasters.
Resource Management Account
supported varying increases over the FY2022 enacted level
The Resource Management account comprises the majority
for this account of $294.6 million (20.3%), $198.2 million
of the FWS discretionary appropriations. For FY2023, the
(13.7%), and $152.3 million (10.5%), respectively (Table
Administration, House-passed, and Senate-introduced bills
2).
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link to page 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2023 Appropriations
Table 2. Resource Management Account for FWS
the Federal Lands Transportation Program, with $36.0
(nominal $ in millions)
million for FWS annually from FY2022 to FY2026.
FY2022 FY2023
H.R. S. 4686
The 2022 IRA broadly addressed climate, health care, and
Activity
Enacted Admin
8294
tax issues. The law appropriated $250.0 million in FY2022
mandatory appropriations for FWS. Of this amount, $125.0
Ecological Services
$277.4
$356.2 $354.8 $312.5
million was for Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery
Habitat Conservation
71.3
83.4
84.4
74.8
plan development and implementation; $121.3 million was
for rebuilding and restoring National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
518.8
597.9
573.6
550.0
System units and state wildlife management areas by
System
addressing invasive species and the effects of weather
Conservation and
164.7
201.4
185.2
178.5
events and by increasing resiliency to weather events; and
Enforcement
$3.8 million was for associated administrative expenses.
Fish and Aquatic
220.8
260.4
235.2
246.0
Issues for Congress
Conservation
For FY2023, Congress might consider the amounts, terms,
Cooperative Landscape
12.8
19.0
—a
13.2
and conditions of funding for FWS accounts and activities,
Conservation
as well as whether to enact related Administration
proposals. For instance, the House-passed bill would merge
Science Support
23.2
38.5
49.6
29.4
the Cooperative Landscape Conservation (CLC) activity
General Operations
155.6
188.4
166.9
172.7
into the Science Support activity. The House
Appropriations Committee recommended this merger to
Stewardship Priorities
6.8
—
—
25.6
reflect a shift in how FWS approaches and coordinates
landscape-scale conservation. CLC activity funding
Activities Total
$1,451.5 $1,745.1 $1,649.8 $1,602.8
previously went to 22 Landscape Conservation
Damage Recovery Provision
—
1.0
—
1.0
Cooperatives (LCCs) throughout the country whose
structure and governance were set by FWS. FWS is shifting
Account Total
$1,451.5 $1,746.1 $1,649.8 $1,603.8
away from LCCs to support a wider range of landscape
Sources: CRS; data from House and Senate Committees on
conservation partnerships with varying structures and more
Appropriations. Totals may differ from column sum due to rounding.
locally led conservation programs.
a. Merged with Science Support activity.
Other issues Congress may consider center on optimal
Other FWS Appropriations Accounts
funding levels for particular activities, such as ESA-related
In FY2022, $194.1 million in discretionary funding was
activities in FY2023. The House-passed bill would provide
appropriated for seven other accounts that support
$354.8 million to the Ecological Services activity, which
construction, conservation activities, financial and technical
covers administration of ESA and related activities. This
assistance, and revenue sharing (Table 1). For FY2023, the
amount includes funding for listing species under ESA,
Administration, House-passed bill, and Senate-introduced
planning and consultation on listed species, and
bill supported increased funding over the FY2022 levels for
conservation and recovery of ESA-listed and other species.
these accounts—$31.8 million (16.4%), $32.6 million
This would be an increase of $77.4 million (27.9%) over
(16.8%), and $40.1 million (20.7%), respectively.
the FY2022 enacted level. The Senate-introduced bill
would provide $312.5 million for Ecological Services, a
FWS Mandatory Appropriations
$35.1 million (12.6%) increase over the FY2022 enacted
FWS also receives mandatory appropriations primarily for
level. Some ESA activities received supplemental funding
states to fund fish and wildlife conservation and recreation.
from the IIJA and the IRA in FY2022.
The Administration’s FY2023 budget request estimated
$1.77 billion in mandatory appropriations for FWS
Congress also might consider potential limitations on some
programs in FY2023. This total does not include an
FWS funding, such as for issuing permits for importing
estimated $95.0 million for FWS deferred maintenance.
hunting trophies. The House-passed bill would prohibit the
use of funds to issue permits for importing sport-hunted
Supplemental Funding for FWS in FY2023
trophies of elephants and lions killed in Tanzania, Zambia,
FWS received additional funding for FY2023 under the
or Zimbabwe. The House Appropriations Committee
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58)
expressed concern that FWS’s current case-by-case analysis
and the so-called Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA;
of permits may be inadequate for determining countries’
P.L. 117-169). The IIJA and the IRA provided additional
safeguards to protect species from poaching. Some
appropriations to FWS in FY2022 and future years. Enacted
Members opposed to this provision asserted that it would
in 2021, the IIJA provided emergency appropriations that
discourage hunting in Africa and lead to a loss of revenue
broadly support infrastructure and other activities for many
for conserving species that is generated from licensed and
federal agencies, including FWS. The IIJA appropriated
regulated hunting.
$91.0 million annually from FY2022 to FY2026 to FWS for
Resource Management account activities, including fish
Pervaze A. Sheikh, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
and wildlife passage restoration and regional ecosystem
Elisabeth Lohre, Research Assistant
restoration. The IIJA also authorized appropriations through
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2023 Appropriations

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