More details of the FY2018 Omnibus spending package unveiled last are now available.
Within the budget for the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Nursing Workforce Development programs would be funded at $249.5 million, an increase of $20 million above the final FY2017 enacted levels. The Public Health and Preventive Medicine program would be level funded at $17.0 million under this bill.
With respect to programs funded by the Department of Education, Title VI/ International Education programs would collectively be level funded at $72.2 million. The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program would see a cut of $5 million to $23.0 million.
The bill provides $350 million to allow borrowers not currently eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to join it. It also would use a portion of the surplus from the Pell Grant program to over the increased mandatory expense associated with the increase in the maximum award.
The Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account at the National Science Foundation would be funded at the Administration-requested level of $182.8 million, with $57.8 million dedicated to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, also as requested by the Administration.
Within the NASA budget, Earth Science programs would essentially be level funded at $1.9 billion. The popular Space Grant program would be level funded at the FY2017 level of $40.0 million.
The Commerce-Justice-State portion of the package funds, among other agencies and programs, NOAA and its various programs. Sea Grant, which was proposed for elimination by the Administration, would see a slight increase to $76.5 million while the Integrated Ocean Observing System program would be funded at $35.0 million, also a slight increase above the FY2017 level. As part of the Climate Research account within the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) line, Climate Research Labs and Cooperative Institutes are slated for level funding of $60 million.
Of interest in the Interior portion of the massive legislative package, the bill would level fund the Cooperative Research Units at the U.S. Geological Survey at $17.4 million while mandating that the Survey maintain a total of eight Climate Science Centers around the country in FY2018 and keeping them level funded at $25.3 million.
Office of Federal Relations will provide further details.