On April 30, the House approved, 226-197, the conference report for the FY2016 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 11). The House and Senate approved their respective versions of the resolution on March 25 and March 27 (see The Source, 3/27/15).
According to the conference report, the resolution would provide $3.039 trillion in budget authority in FY2016. The earlier House resolution (H. Con. Res. 27) would have allocated $3.719 trillion in budget authority, while the earlier Senate version would have allocated $3.003 trillion. The measure caps discretionary spending at $1.016 trillion and sets overseas contingency operations (OCO) at $96 billion.
The measure contains instructions, also known as reconciliation, for several committees to find $1 billion in savings each. The House Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means Committees have specific instructions to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148).
Federal health programs would receive $433.064 billion in budget authority in FY2016. The legislation would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to improve access to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and a spending-neutral reserve fund to improve community health centers.
The budget resolution would allocate $523.086 billion in budget authority for income security programs and would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund “to reduce poverty and increase opportunity and upward mobility for struggling Americans.” In addition, the legislation would establish deficit-neutral reserve funds to promote equal pay, address family and medical leave, and address child welfare.
Education, training, employment, and social services programs would receive $83.315 billion in budget authority in FY2016. The measure would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers.
The legislation would allocate $40.2 billion in budget authority for international programs.
The resolution would establish several additional deficit-neutral reserve funds, including:
