2016 Appropriations: Tracking How the Republican Budget’s Funding Cuts Will Hurt Economic Growth and National Security

Congressional Republicans are in the process of writing appropriations bills at discretionary funding levels that are the lowest in a decade, adjusted for inflation. Compared to the President’s Budget, these levels are forcing cuts in areas critical to the economy and the middle-class, ranging from research to education to environmental protection, as well as in national security priorities, ranging from homeland security to peacekeeping and foreign assistance to the base defense budget.

These cuts are the result of Congressional Republicans’ decision to lock in the funding cuts imposed by sequestration. “Sequestration” refers to hundreds of billions in cuts to defense and non-defense discretionary funding that have occurred or are scheduled to occur between 2013 and 2021. Sequestration reduces the funding available for education, research, national defense, and a range of other priorities.

Sequestration was never intended to take effect. It was supposed to be a forcing mechanism threatening such drastic cuts to both defense and non-defense funding so that policymakers would be motivated to come to the table and reduce the deficit through smart, balanced reforms. But since that didn’t happen, sequestration took effect in the form of across-the-board cuts in 2013.

At the end of 2013, policymakers came together on a bipartisan basis to buy down a portion of sequestration for 2014 and 2015. But that agreement expires at the end of this fiscal year, which means that sequestration funding levels will return in full in 2016 unless Congress acts to prevent it.

The President's Budget would reverse these cuts going forward, replacing the savings with commonsense spending and tax reforms in order to make investments important to families, the economy, and our national security. Unfortunately, the Republican appropriations bills released to date double-down on a very different approach.

► Read more about how the House Republicans’ appropriation bills shortchange economic growth and national security.

► Read more about how the Senate Republicans’ appropriation bills shortchange economic growth and national security.

► Read more about how Republicans’ short-sighted priorities will affect your State.

► Read OMB’s sequestration FAQ.

Bill-by-Bill Impacts of the Republican Appropriation Funding Levels and Ideological Riders

Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (July 7, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (July 29, 2015)

Commerce, Justice, and Science

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (May 19, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2578 (June 1, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (June 24, 2015)

Defense

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (June 1, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2685 (June 9, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (June 16, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on S. 1558  (June 18, 2015)

Energy and Water Development

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (April 21, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2028 (April 28, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (June 2, 2015)

Financial Services and General Government

• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (August 5, 2015)
• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (June 16, 2015)

Homeland Security

• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (July 7, 2015)
• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (July 13, 2015)

Interior and Environment

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (June 15, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2822 (June 23, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (July 9, 2015)

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (June 23, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (July 9, 2015)

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (April 21, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2029 (April 28, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (June 2, 2015)

State and Foreign Operations

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (June 10, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (July 29, 2015)

Transportation and HUD

• Letter to the House Appropriations Committee (May 11, 2015)
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2577 (June 1, 2015)
• Letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee (July 9, 2015)

State-by-State Impacts of the Republican Appropriation Funding Levels and Ideological Riders

► View state-by-state tables illustrating some of the impacts that would result from the House Republican appropriation funding levels and ideological riders.

► View state-by-state tables illustrating some of the impacts that would result from the Senate Republican appropriation funding levels and ideological riders.