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Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Possible Soon

The House of Representatives may take up an omnibus fiscal year 2009 appropriations bill this week, which would fund many federal agencies through September 30th of this year. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated, last week that he would seek to advance the legislation in the next few days, even though work on the higher priority economic recovery package has not been finalized with the Senate.

Last fall, Congress and the Bush Administration were unable to complete work on nine out of the 12 FY09 appropriations bills; only Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs were approved and signed into law. Funding for programs covered under the other nine bills was frozen at their FY08 base levels in a continuing resolution that expires on March 6, 2009. Shortly after Congress passes an economic recovery package and an omnibus FY09 Appropriations bill, work will begin on the FY10 appropriations process. The Obama Administration will release a FY10 budget blueprint shortly, and a full budget request will likely emerge from the Obama Administration in April.

Recap of FY09 Funding for Key Agencies/Accounts

In Millions of Dollars

Agency/Program FY08 Final FY09 House % Change FY09 Senate % Change
NIH 29.165 30.400 4.2 30.255 3.7
Pell Grants 14.215 17.335 21.9 16.890 18.8
NASA SAE* 10.568 8.538 -19.2 8.362 -20.9
NSF 6.065 6.854 13 6.854 13
DoE/Science 3.973 4.86 22.3 4.64 16.8
NEH 145 160 10.6 TBD TBD
International Ed. 109 119 9.1 109 Level Funded

*Science, Aeronautics, and Exploration