SSTI Digest

The enacted FY09 Appropriations bill authorizes $512 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) base as well as $66 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) received $3.1 billion, an increase from the 2008 appropriation of $2.95 billion.

Defense Basic Research is funded at $1.8 billion, a 13 percent increase above the FY08 appropriation. For overall Science & Technology (S&T) programs, the enacted budget allocates $13.5 billion, an increase of 6 percent. S&T programs include defense-wide and military service funding for 6.1 basic research, 6.2 applied research, and 6.3 advanced technology development.

The FY09 enacted funding for DoD departments is as follows:

Army

The Department of Education's FY09 total budget appropriation is $66.5 billion.

The FY09 education budget includes specialized funding toward a few K-12 math and science programs:

The FY09 budget provides $27 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), a nine percent increase over the FY08 enactment. The bill includes significant increases for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the Office of Science and the Office of Fossil Energy and reduced funding for nuclear energy programs through the Office of Nuclear Energy.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was one of three federal agencies whose budget was enacted in September 2008. Since the department's funding was finalized last year, only minimal funding is provided in the current bill.

Among the few provisions related to DHS in the finalized budget bill is an extension of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction of Proliferation and Terrorism through next year, transferring $1.1 million from the Department of Defense appropriation for its continuance. 

The FY09 enacted budget includes $38.6 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a $3 billion increase over the 2008 appropriation. The Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) received $18.1 million for personnel compensation and benefits. The FY09 budget includes $58 million ($6.5 million increase) for Research and Technology contracts, grants, and expenses of programs of research and studies related to housing and urban problems.

The FY09 omnibus awards $15.3 billion to the Department of Labor, a 4.1 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) received $9.4 billion, a 4.8 percent increase from FY08. About $2.97 billion supports grants to states for training and employment services. These state grants are divided between $862 million for adult training, $924 for youth activities, and $1.18 billion for training dislocated workers. Of the $489 million appropriated for federal training and employment service programs, $283 million is allocated for the dislocated workers assistance national reserve.

The FY 2009 Department of Transportation's (DOT) total budgetary resources are $67.2 billion. Funding for the NextGen technology is more than doubled, providing $688 million for the transformation from radar-based to satellite-based air traffic systems to help meet the nation's rapidly growing demand for air travel.

The FY09 enacted funding for all research, engineering and development at the Federal Aviation Administration is $171 million, to be derived from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and to remain available until September 30, 2011.

The FY09 enacted budget provides $1.16 billion for the Treasury Department, not including the IRS. Though the overall appropriation for the department dropped, TBED-related funding increased.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), received $7.6 billion in FY09, $174 million above the 2008 appropriation. Science and Technology activities, including research and development activities, are funded at $790 million in FY09, $30 million above the FY08 appropriation. Science and Technology programs include:

NASA received $17.8 billion in FY09, a 2.2 percent increase from the previous fiscal year's amount of $17.2 billion. It is distributed as follows:

In FY09, the National Science Foundation received $6.49 billion, a 5.9 percent increase of $363 million over FY08. More than three-fourths of the total supports non-defense research and related activities, 13 percent will be for education and human resources, and 2.3 percent of the total is for major research equipment and facilities construction.

While the omnibus bill does not specify the funds going towards the various research components within the NSF, it mentions by name certain projects and their levels of funding:

Several regional commissions and authorities receive annual federal appropriations for economic improvement activities within specific geographic regions, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Denali Commission.