FY2014 Appropriations Summary

On January 15, the House approved, 359-67, an omnibus spending bill (H.R. 3547) that would fund the government through the current fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2013 and ends on September 30, 2014. The Senate approved the measure, 72-26, on January 16; the president signed the bill into law on January 17.

The vote on the omnibus followed passage by the House and Senate of a continuing resolution (CR) (H. J. Res. 106) on January 15 to keep the federal government funded through January 18. The president signed the measure into law on January 15. The CR gave Congress enough time to complete work on H.R. 3547 and avoid a second shutdown of the federal government.

The omnibus bill combines all 12 FY2014 spending bills – Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Defense; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies – into a single piece of legislation. H.R. 3547 complies with the Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 113-67) reached in December 2013, which caps discretionary funding for federal departments, agencies, and programs at $1.012 trillion. The omnibus bill does not include additional funding for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-48), also known as “Obamacare.”

The charts below summarize funding levels for various programs important to women and their families.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

According to the House Appropriations Committee summary, the bill provides $20.9 billion in discretionary funding in FY2014 for the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and various related programs.

*The president’s FY2014 request for P.L. 480 Title II was shifted into three accounts managed by the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Food for Peace: International Disaster Assistance (emergency food response), Development Assistance for Community Development and Resilience Fund (to address chronic food insecurity in areas of recurrent crises), and the new Emergency Food Assistance Contingency Fund.

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

The bill provides $51.6 billion in FY2014 discretionary spending for programs within the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies portion of the bill.

The measure also includes $20 million for sex offender management assistance and $1 million for the National Sex Offender Public Website.

Defense

The omnibus spending bill allocates $571.8 billion in base and overseas contingency operation funding for FY2014.

The bill contains $25 million to expand the special victims counsel program to all branches of the armed services. The program provides victims of sexual assault with legal assistance and support. The legislation also contains $120 million for breast cancer research and $20 million for ovarian cancer research.

Financial Services and General Government

The bill provides $21.851 billion for Financial Services and General Government, which includes funding for the Small Business Administration. The measure retains the ban against federal or local funds from being used for abortions in the District of Columbia.

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

H.R. 3547 provides $157.697 billion in FY2014 for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, as well as for several other agencies and programs.

The measure maintains the prohibitions on federal funding for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. The bill would prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services from discriminating against health care providers that refuse to pay or refer for abortions. The bill also includes $5 million for abstinence education.

*President Obama’s request for the Women in Apprenticeships program indicated that “[N]o funds are being requested for this program. The mission of expanding apprenticeship opportunities for women will continue to be advanced through the Office of Apprenticeship’s work to expand registered apprenticeship and ensure equal access to apprenticeship programs.”

**The bill funds this program in the Prevention and Public Health Fund.

Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies

The bill provides $157.99 billion for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies in FY2014. This amount includes $73.3 billion and $84.7 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding, respectively.

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee summary, the measure includes $4.88 billion to provide health care for women veterans, which includes $422 million in “gender-specific health care to meet the unique needs of female veterans.” A FY2015 advance appropriation in the bill includes $5.3 billion for women veteran’s health care and $476.5 million in gender-specific health care.

State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

The omnibus bill provides $49 billion in discretionary funds for the Department of State, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other international organizations.

The measure continues the prohibition on federal funding for abortions (Helms Amendment) and funding to international organizations that support coercive or involuntary abortions (Kemp-Kasten Amendment), and ensures that all family planning programs are voluntary (Tiahrt Amendment). The bill also prohibits the Peace Corps from using funds for abortions.

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

The legislation allocates $50.856 billion in discretionary funds for FY2014 for programs funded within the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.