NOAA Budget Cuts Proposed for FY19
NOAA Budget Cuts Proposed for FY19
On February 12, 2018, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the Trump administration’s proposal for the budget of the U.S. government for fiscal year (FY) 2019. The budget proposes to reduce funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – within the Department of Commerce – by $1 billion or 20% (compared to FY2017 levels). This would be achieved, in part, through a $273 million reduction in funding for NOAA grant programs, including the National Sea Grant College Program, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, coastal zone management grants, the Office of Education and the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund.
| Update: On September 28, 2018, President Trump signed H.R. 6157 (Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Bill, 2019) into law. Division C of H.R. 6157 provides continuing appropriations for NOAA and certain other federal agencies through December 7, 2018. Most NOAA projects and activities are funded at FY2018 levels.
On December 8, 2018, funding for NOAA and certain other federal agencies lapsed, leading to a partial federal shutdown government. After 35 days, on January 25, 2019, President Trump signed H.J. Res. 28 into law. The resolutiion provides continuing appropriations for various federal agencies through February 15, 2019. On February 15, 2019, President Trump signed H.J. Res. (known as the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019”) into law. The Act funds NOAA and certain other federal agencies through FY2019. Additional funding (above FY2018 levels) is provided for several of NOAA’s climate research programs, including the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which will see a 3.2% increase in its budget. |