This report provides a convenient listing of online FY2021 agency budget justification submissions for all 15 executive branch departments and 9 selected independent agencies. In most cases, budget justifications contain more detailed descriptions of the proposals and programs that are provided in the President’s budget submissions. This report is updated each year after the agencies release their budget justifications to accompany the President’s budget submission.
This report provides a convenient listing of online FY2021 agency budget justification submissions for all 15 executive branch departments and 9 selected independent agencies. In most cases, budget justifications contain more detailed descriptions of the proposals and programs that are provided in the President's budget submissions. This report is updated each year after the agencies release their budget justifications to accompany the President's budget submission.
Budget justifications are detailed written materials, data, and supporting documents provided by federal agencies that expand upon and support the President's yearly budget submission to Congress.1 In form and content, the justifications may vary by agency. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provides yearly instructions to agencies for producing materials to be included in the President's budget submission and agency budget justifications. Each summer, OMB issues these instructions as part of a document entitled, Circular No. A-11: Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget.2
The release of budget justifications occurs soon after the release of the President's annual budget submission and in advance of congressional hearings on agency budget requests.3 Agencies submit budget justifications to the appropriations subcommittees to support these agencies' testimonies and inform congressional deliberations. Beginning with the FY2008 executive budget cycle, agencies have also been required to post their congressional budget justification materials on the internet within two weeks of transmittal to Congress.4
Website links to FY2021 budget justification documents are provided below for each of the 15 executive departments and 9 selected independent agencies.5 How these documents are organized on agency websites can vary, therefore brief guidance for navigating to FY2021-specific materials is provided below the links as appropriate. In addition, links to historical information from prior fiscal years may also appear or be available through the cited websites.
Department of Agriculture
https://www.obpa.usda.gov/explan_notes.html
The website includes links to the FY2021 USDA submission, and historical budget justification materials back to FY2008.
Department of Commerce
https://www.commerce.gov/about/budget-and-performance/FY-2021-congressional-bureau-justification
Historical Department of Commerce budget justification materials back to FY2009 and Budget in Brief documents.
http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/budget/default.htm
Department of Defense
http://comptroller.defense.gov/Budget-Materials/
The website includes an index of links to historical Department of Defense budget justification materials back to FY1998 in the banner section at the top of the site.
Department of Education
https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget21/index.html
Historical Department of Education budget justification materials back to FY2011.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/news.html?src=rt
Department of Energy
https://www.energy.gov/cfo/downloads/fy-2021-budget-justification
Historical Department of Energy budget justification materials back to FY2005; scroll to the bottom of the website.
https://www.energy.gov/cfo/listings/budget-justification-supporting-documents
Department of Health and Human Services
https://www.hhs.gov/about/budget/index.html
Historical Department of Health and Human Services budget justification materials back to FY2018 are available toward the bottom of the website.
Department of Homeland Security
https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-budget
Historical Department of Homeland Security budget justification materials back to FY2010 and budget-related materials back to FY2003 are available toward the bottom of the website.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/cfo/reports/fy21_CJ
Historical Department of Housing and Urban Development budget justification materials back to FY1998.
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/cfo/budget
Department of the Interior
https://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2021
Historical Department of the Interior budget justification materials back to FY2008 and selected budget justification materials back to FY2001.
https://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/
Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2021-congressional-budget-submission
Historical Department of Justice budget justification materials back to FY2015.
http://www.justice.gov/doj/budget-and-performance
Department of Labor
https://www.dol.gov/general/budget
Historical DOL budget justification materials back to FY2008, under "Past Budgets" heading.
https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol
Department of State
https://www.state.gov/fy-2021-international-affairs-budget/
The full FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification for the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs.
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/FY-2021-CBJ-Final.pdf
Historical Department of State budget justification materials back to FY2018; click on the links for "International Affairs Budget" for each fiscal year.
https://www.state.gov/plans-performance-budget/international-affairs-budgets/
Department of Transportation
https://www.transportation.gov/budget
Historical Department of Transportation budget justification materials back to FY2009, under "Budget Estimates" heading.
https://www.transportation.gov/mission/budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents
Department of the Treasury
https://www.treasury.gov/about/budget-performance/Pages/cj-index.aspx
Historical Department of the Treasury budget justification materials back to FY2010 are available by scrolling down on the left side of the website.
Department of Veterans Affairs
https://www.va.gov/budget/products.asp
Historical Department of Veterans Affairs budget justification materials back to FY2008 are available toward the bottom of the website.
Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2021-justification-appropriation-estimates-committee-appropriations
FY2020 EPA (prior year) budget justification materials.
https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2020-justification-appropriation-estimates-committee-appropriations
Other historical EPA budget justification materials back to FY2011 are under "Justification of Appropriations for Committee on Appropriations" heading.
https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/archive
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
https://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html
Historical NASA budget justification materials back to FY2004 and selected materials back to FY1997 are under "Previous Years' Budget Requests" heading.
Agency for International Development
https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/budget-spending/congressional-budget-justification/fy2021
Historical AID budget justification materials back to FY2001.
https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/budget-spending/congressional-budget-justification
General Services Administration
https://www.gsa.gov/reference/reports/budget-performance/annual-budget-requests
Previous GSA budget justification materials back to FY2006 are also available on the website.
National Science Foundation
https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2021/index.jsp
Historical NSF budget justification materials back to FY1996.
https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1100/v36/
Historical NRC budget justification materials back to FY2011.
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1100/
Office of Personnel Management
https://www.opm.gov/about-us/budget-performance/budgets/#url=Congressional-Budget-Justification
Historical budget justification materials back to FY2007 are also available on the website.
Small Business Administration
https://www.sba.gov/document/report—congressional-budget-justification-annual-performance-report
This site also has links by fiscal year to annual budget justification and performance report materials back to FY2010.
Social Security Administration
https://www.ssa.gov/budget/
Historical budget justification materials back to FY2008 are available via the tabs at the top of the website.
Policy analysis for each of the 12 regular appropriations bills is available via the CRS Appropriations Status Table by clicking on the corresponding CRS report for each bill at http://www.crs.gov/AppropriationsStatusTable/Index. Additional budget submissions to Congress for sub-agencies or quasi-government agencies may also be available online. A more extensive listing of federal agencies and offices is available in the current U.S. Government Manual at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVMAN-2019-11-21/pdf/GOVMAN-2019-11-21.pdf.
Author Contact Information
| 1. |
Additional details on the proposals and programs may also be available directly from the agencies themselves via congressional liaison or governmental affairs contacts listed in CRS Report 98-446, Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies, by Audrey Celeste Crane-Hirsch. A listing of agencies included within each of the 12 regular appropriations bills is available in CRS Report R40858, Locate an Agency or Program Within Appropriations Bills, by Justin Murray. |
| 2. |
Circular A-11 is available on the White House website at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/a11.pdf. See Section 22.6. Note these requirements pertain to executive branch agencies but not to legislative and judicial agencies. |
| 3. |
The Office of Budget and Management (OMB) released the President's FY2021 budget on February 10, 2020. The budget documents may be accessed at OMB's budget website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget. Additional information on accessing the FY2021 budget materials is available in CRS Report R43475, FY2021 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability, by Justin Murray. |
| 4. |
See Circular A-11, Section 22.6. |
| 5. |
These are the nine independent agencies specified under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, P.L. 101-576, 31 U.S.C. §501. |