Public Budgeting

Evaluate the relationship between Congress and the President and discuss two (2) reasons why the presidential duties may conflict with the role of Congress. Justify your response with examples.

How important is fiscal transparency? When looking at the 2017 America First- A Blueprint to Make America Great Again, does the executive/federal budget reflect a realistic assessment of the fiscal problems facing state and local governments?

America First
A Budget Blueprint to Make

America Great Again

Office of

Management

and Budget

America First
A Budget Blueprint to Make
America Great Again
Office of Management and Budget

Table of Contents

President’s Message

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OMB Director’s Message

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Major Agency Budget Highlights

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Management ��

Regulation

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Department of Agriculture

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Department of Commerce

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Department of Defense

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Department of Education

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Department of Energy

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Department of Health and Human Services

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Department of Homeland Security

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Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Department of the Interior

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Department of Justice

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Department of Labor

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Department of State, USAID, and Treasury International Programs

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Department of Transportation

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Department of the Treasury

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Department of Veterans Affairs

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Environmental Protection Agency

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Small Business Administration

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Summary Tables

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Table 1. Proposed Discretionary Caps for 2018 Budget ……………………………………………………. 49

Table 2. 2018 Discretionary Overview by Major Agency …………………………………………………… 50

Table 3. Major 2018 Budget Changes from Current Law ………………………………………………….. 5

Table 4. Major 2017 Changes from Security Supplemental Request ………………………………….. 53

Page

GENERAL NOTES

1. All years referenced for economic data are calendar years unless
otherwise noted. All years referenced for budget data are fiscal
years unless otherwise noted.

2. At the time of this writing, only one of the annual appropria-
tions bills for 2017 had been enacted (the Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act), as well as the Further
Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, which
provided 2017 discretionary funding for certain Department of
Defense accounts; therefore, the programs provided for in the
remaining 2017 annual appropriations bills were operating un-
der a continuing resolution (Public Law 114-223, division C, as
amended). For these programs, references to 2017 spending in
the text and tables reflect the levels provided by the continuing
resolution.

3. Details in the tables may not add to the totals due to rounding.

4. Web address: http://www.budget.gov

http://www.budget.gov

AMERICA FIRST
Beginning a New Chapter of American Greatness

A MESSAGE TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

The American people elected me to fight for their priorities in Washington, D.C. and deliver
on my promise to protect our Nation. I fully intend to keep that promise.

One of the most important ways the Federal Government sets priorities is through the Budget
of the United States.

Accordingly, I submit to the Congress this Budget Blueprint to reprioritize Federal spending
so that it advances the safety and security of the American people.

Our aim is to meet the simple, but crucial demand of our citizens—a Government that puts
the needs of its own people first. When we do that, we will set free the dreams of every
American, and we will begin a new chapter of American greatness.

A budget that puts America first must make the safety of our people its number one priority—
because without safety, there can be no prosperity.

That is why I have instructed my Budget Director,

Mick Mulvaney

, to craft a budget that
emphasizes national security and public safety. That work is reflected in this Budget
Blueprint. To keep Americans safe, we have made tough choices that have been put off for
too long. But we have also made necessary investments that are long overdue.

My Budget Blueprint for 2018:

• provides for one of the largest increases in defense spending without increasing the
debt;

• significantly increases the budget for immigration enforcement at the Department of
Justice and the Department of Homeland Security;

• includes additional resources for a wall on the southern border with Mexico, immi-
gration judges, expanded detention capacity, U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, and Border Patrol;

• increases funding to address violent crime and reduces opioid abuse; and

• puts America first by keeping more of America’s hard-earned tax dollars here at home.

The core of my first Budget Blueprint is the rebuilding of our Nation’s military without adding
to our Federal deficit. There is a $54 billion increase in defense spending in 2018 that is offset
by targeted reductions elsewhere. This defense funding is vital to rebuilding and preparing
our Armed Forces for the future.

We must ensure that our courageous servicemen and women have the tools they need to deter
war, and when called upon to fight, do only one thing: Win.

In these dangerous times, this public safety and national security Budget Blueprint is a
message to the world—a message of American strength, security, and resolve.

This Budget Blueprint follows through on my promise to focus on keeping Americans safe,
keeping terrorists out of our country, and putting violent offenders behind bars.

The defense and public safety spending increases in this Budget Blueprint are offset and paid
for by finding greater savings and efficiencies across the Federal Government. Our Budget
Blueprint insists on $54 billion in reductions to non-Defense programs. We are going to do
more with less, and make the Government lean and accountable to the people.

This includes deep cuts to foreign aid. It is time to prioritize the security and well-being of
Americans, and to ask the rest of the world to step up and pay its fair share.

Many other Government agencies and departments will also experience cuts. These cuts
are sensible and rational. Every agency and department will be driven to achieve greater
efficiency and to eliminate wasteful spending in carrying out their honorable service to the
American people.

I look forward to engaging the Congress and enacting this America First Budget.

Donald J. Trump

A Message from the Director, Office of Management and Budget

I am proud to introduce the “America First” Budget.

While recognizing this Blueprint is not the full Federal budget, it does provide lawmakers
and the public with a view of the priorities of the President and his Administration.

The Federal budget is a complex document. However, working for a President committed to
keeping his promises means my job is as simple as translating his words into numbers.

That is why you will find here a familiar focus on rebuilding and restoring our Nation’s
security. Under the Obama Administration, our shrinking military has been stretched far
too thin. The military has been forced to make aging ships, planes, and other vehicles last
well beyond their intended life spans. The President will reverse this dangerous trend. From
rebuilding our Armed Forces to beefing up our border security and safeguarding our Nation’s
sovereignty, this Budget makes security priority one.

It does so while meeting another of the President’s core commitments: addressing our Nation’s
priorities without sending future generations an even bigger credit card bill.

This 2018 Budget Blueprint will not add to the deficit. It has been crafted much the same
way any American family creates its own budget while paying bills around their kitchen
table; it makes hard choices.

The President’s commitment to fiscal responsibility is historic. Not since early in President
Reagan’s first term have more tax dollars been saved and more Government inefficiency and
waste been targeted. Every corner of the Federal budget is scrutinized, every program tested,
every penny of taxpayer money watched over.

Our $20 trillion national debt is a crisis, not just for the Nation, but for every citizen. Each
American’s share of this debt is more than $60,000 and growing. It is a challenge of great
stakes, but one the American people can solve. American families make tough decisions
every day about their own budgets; it is time Washington does the same.

Mick Mulvaney

MAJOR AGENCY BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

The 2018 Budget is being unveiled sequentially
in that this Blueprint provides details only on our
discretionary funding proposals. The full Budget
that will be released later this spring will include
our specific mandatory and tax proposals, as well
as a full fiscal path.

For instance, the President has emphasized that
one of his top priorities is modernizing the outdated
infrastructure that the American public depends
upon. To spearhead his infrastructure initiative,
the President has tapped a group of infrastructure
experts to evaluate investment options along
with commonsense regulatory, administrative,
organizational, and policy changes to encourage
investment and speed project delivery. Through
this initiative, the President is committed to
making sure that taxpayer dollars are expended
for the highest return projects and that all levels
of government maximize leverage to get the
best deals and exercise vigorous oversight. The
Administration will provide more budgetary, tax,
and legislative details in the coming months.

In the chapters that follow, Budget highlights
are presented for major agencies. Consistent

with the President’s approach to move the Nation
toward fiscal responsibility, the Budget eliminates
and reduces hundreds of programs and focuses
funding to redefine the proper role of the Federal
Government.

The Budget also proposes to eliminate funding
for other independent agencies, including:
the African Development Foundation; the
Appalachian Regional Commission; the
Chemical Safety Board; the Corporation
for National and Community Service; the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting; the Delta
Regional Authority; the Denali Commission;
the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
the Inter-American Foundation; the U.S. Trade
and Development Agency; the Legal Services
Corporation; the National Endowment for
the Arts; the National Endowment for the
Humanities; the Neighborhood Reinvestment
Corporation; the Northern Border Regional
Commission; the Overseas Private Investment
Corporation; the United States Institute of
Peace; the United States Interagency Council
on Homelessness; and the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars.

MANAGEMENT

Making Government Work Again

The Federal Government can—and should—
operate more effectively, efficiently, and securely.
For decades, leaders on both sides of the aisle
have talked about the need to make Government
work better. The President is taking bold action
now to make Government work again for the
American people.

As one of his first acts as President, on
January 23, 2017, the President issued a
memorandum imposing a Federal “Hiring
Freeze” and requiring a long-term plan to reduce
the size of the Federal Government’s workforce.
In addition, on March 13, 2017, the President
signed Executive Order 13781 establishing
a “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the
Executive Branch,” which set in motion the
important work of reorganizing executive
departments and agencies. These two actions
are complementary and plans should reflect
both Presidential actions. Legislation will be
required before major reorganization of the
Executive Branch can take place, but the White
House is best situated to review and recommend
changes to the Congress. In roughly a year,
the Congress will receive from the President
and the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) a comprehensive plan for
reorganization proposals. The White House
will work closely with congressional committees
with jurisdiction over Government organization
to ensure the needed reforms actually happen.

Simultaneously, the Administration will
develop the President’s Management Agenda
focused on achieving significant improvements
in the effectiveness of its core management

functions. The President’s Management Agenda
will set goals in areas that are critical to im-
proving the Federal Government’s effectiveness,
efficiency, cybersecurity, and accountability. The
Administration will take action to ensure that by
2020 we will be able to say the following:

1� Federal agencies are managing
programs and delivering critical
services more effectively� The
Administration will take an evidence-
based approach to improving programs
and services—using real, hard data to
identify poorly performing organizations
and programs. We will hold program
managers accountable for improving
performance and delivering high-quality
and timely services to the American
people and businesses. We will use all
tools available and create new ones
as needed to ensure the workforce is
appropriately prepared.

2� Federal agencies are devoting a
greater percentage of taxpayer
dollars to mission achievement
rather than costly, unproductive
compliance activities� Past
management improvement initiatives
resulted in the creation of hundreds of
guidance documents aimed at improving
Government management by adding
more requirements to information
technology (IT), human capital,
acquisition, financial management,
and real property. Furthermore, these
Government-wide policies often tie
agencies’ hands and keep managers
from making commonsense decisions.

8 MANAGEMENT

As a result, costs often increase
without corresponding benefits. The
Administration will roll back low-value
activities and let managers manage,
while holding them accountable for
finding ways to reduce the cost of agency
operations. As part of this effort, OMB
will review requirements placed on
agencies and identify areas to reduce
obsolete, low-value requirements.

3� Federal agencies are more effective
and efficient in supporting program
outcomes� Delivering high-performing
program results and services to citizens
and businesses depends on effective
and efficient mission support services.
However, despite years of efforts to
improve these critical management pro-
cesses, managers remain frustrated with
hiring methodologies that do not con-
sistently bring in top talent, acquisition
approaches that are too cumbersome,
and IT that is outdated by the time it is

deployed. The Administration will use
available data to develop targeted solu-
tions to problems Federal managers face,
and begin fixing them directly by sharing
and adopting leading practices from the
private and public sectors. Among the
areas that will be addressed are how
agencies buy goods and services, hire
talent, use their real property, pay their
bills, and utilize technology.

4� Agencies have been held accountable
for improving performance� All
Federal agencies will be responsible for
reporting critical performance metrics
and showing demonstrable improvement.
OMB will also regularly review agency
progress in implementing these reforms to
ensure there is consistent improvement.

Through this bold agenda, we will improve
the effectiveness, efficiency, cybersecurity, and
accountability of the Federal Government and
make government work again.

REGULATION

Cutting Burdensome Regulations

The American people deserve a regulatory
system that works for them, not against them—a
system that is both effective and efficient.

Each year, however, Federal agencies issue
thousands of new regulations that, taken together,
impose substantial burdens on American
consumers and businesses big and small.
These burdens function much like taxes that
unnecessarily inhibit growth and employment.
Many regulations, though well intentioned, do
not achieve their intended outcomes, are not
structured in the most cost-effective manner, and
often have adverse, unanticipated consequences.
Many more regulations that have been on the
books for years—even if they made sense at the
time—have gone unexamined and may no longer
be effective or necessary.

The President is committed to fixing these
problems by eliminating unnecessary and
wasteful regulations. To that end, the President
has already taken three significant steps:

1� Regulatory freeze� On January 20,
2017, the President’s Chief of Staff issued
a memorandum to all agencies, directing
them to pull back any regulations that
had been sent to, but not yet published
by, the Office of the Federal Register; to
not publish any new regulations unless
approved by an Administration political
appointee; and to delay the effective date
of any pending regulations for 60 days
to provide the Administration time to
review and reconsider those regulations.
Federal agencies responded by pulling

back, delaying, and not publishing all
possible regulations.

2� Controlling costs and eliminating
unnecessary regulations� On January
30, 2017, the President signed Executive
Order 13771, “Reducing Regulation
and Controlling Regulatory Costs.”
This Executive Order represents a
fundamental change in the regulatory
state. It requires Federal agencies to
eliminate at least two existing regulations
for each new regulation they issue. It
also requires agencies to ensure that for
2017, the total incremental cost of all new
regulations be no greater than $0. For
2018 and beyond, the Order establishes
and institutionalizes a disciplined process
for imposing regulatory cost caps for each
Federal agency.

The significant structural reforms
instituted by this Executive Order provide
the necessary framework for Federal
agencies to carry out the President’s bold
regulatory reform agenda.

3� Enforcing the regulatory reform
agenda� As a successful businessman,
the President knows that achievement
requires accountability. That basic
principle is the reason the President signed
Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the
Regulatory Reform Agenda,” on February
24, 2017. This Order establishes within
each agency a Regulatory Reform Officer
and a Regulatory Reform Task Force
to carry out the President’s regulatory
reform priorities. These new teams will

10 REGULATION

work hard to identify regulations that
eliminate jobs or inhibit job creation; are
outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; or
impose costs that exceed benefits.

They will also be responsible for en-
suring that agencies comply with the
President’s instruction to eliminate
two regulations for each new regula-
tion; impose no new incremental costs
through regulation; and undertake ef-
forts to repeal, replace, or modify existing
regulations.

This Order builds upon a widely rec-
ognized and bi-partisan consensus that
many existing regulations are likely to be
ineffective and no longer necessary, and
explicitly builds upon the retrospective
review efforts initiated through Executive
Order 13563. The difference, however, is
accountability, and these teams will be
a critical means by which Federal agen-
cies will identify and cut regulations in a
smart and efficient manner.

The President recently told Americans, “The
era of empty talk is over.” When it comes to
regulatory reform, it is abundantly clear that the
President means business. The President has
put into place truly significant new structural
mechanisms that will help to ensure that major
regulatory reforms are finally achieved on behalf
of the hardworking and forgotten men and
women of America.

The Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs within OMB is already working hard to
support the implementation of these critical new
reforms, and it looks forward to making sure that
they are fully and successfully implemented over
the coming months and years.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership to promote sustainable
agricultural production, protect the long-term availability of food through innovative
research, and safeguard the health and productivity of the Nation’s forests, grasslands, and
private working lands based on sound public policy and efficient management. USDA also
works to ensure food safety, provide nutrition assistance, and support rural communities.
The Budget request supports core Departmental and mission critical activities while
streamlining, reducing, or eliminating duplicative, redundant, or lower priority programs
where the Federal role competes with the private sector or other levels of government.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $17.9 billion for USDA, a $4.7 billion or 21 percent
decrease from the 2017 annualized continuing resolution (CR) level (excluding funding for
P.L. 480 Title II food aid which is reflected in the Department of State and USAID budget).

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Safeguards the Nation’s supply of meat, poultry, and egg products by fully funding the Food
Safety and Inspection Service, which employs more than 8,000 in-plant and other frontline
personnel who protect public health in approximately 6,400 federally inspected slaughter and
processing establishments nationwide.

• Provides $6.2 billion to serve all projected participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC provides grants to States for sup-
plemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and
postpartum women, infants, and children who are at nutritional risk.

• Fully funds wildland fire preparedness and suppression activities at $2.4 billion, 100 percent
of the 10-year average for suppression operations, to ensure the resources necessary to protect
life and property.

• Reduces funding for lower priority activities in the National Forest System, such as major
new Federal land acquisition; instead, the Budget focuses on maintaining existing forests and
grasslands.

• Continues to support farmer-focused research and extension partnerships at land-grant universities
and provides about $350 million for USDA’s flagship competitive research program. In addition, the
Budget focuses in-house research funding within the Agricultural Research Service to the highest

12 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

priority agriculture and food issues such as increasing farming productivity, sustaining natural resourc-
es, including those within rural communities, and addressing food safety and nutrition priorities.

• Reduces funding for USDA’s statistical capabilities, while maintaining core Departmental ana-
lytical functions, such as the funding necessary to complete the Census of Agriculture.

• Eliminates the duplicative Water and Wastewater loan and grant program, a savings of $498
million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Rural communities can be served by private sector
financing or other Federal investments in rural water infrastructure, such as the Environmental
Protection Agency’s State Revolving Funds.

• Reduces staffing in USDA’s Service Center Agencies to streamline county office operations, re-
flect reduced Rural Development workload, and encourage private sector conservation planning.

• Reduces duplicative and underperforming programs by eliminating discretionary activities of the
Rural Business and Cooperative Service, a savings of $95 million from the 2017 annualized CR
level.

• Eliminates the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program, which lacks evidence
that it is being effectively implemented to reduce food insecurity.

The Department of Commerce promotes job creation and economic growth by ensuring
fair and secure trade, providing the data necessary to support commerce, and fostering
innovation by setting standards and conducting foundational research and development. The
Budget prioritizes and protects investments in core Government functions such as preparing
for the 2020 Decennial Census, providing the observational infrastructure and staff
necessary to produce timely and accurate weather forecasts, supporting the Government’s
role in managing marine resources and ocean and coastal navigation, and enforcing laws that
promote fair and secure trade. The Budget also reduces or eliminates grant programs that
have limited impact and reflect an expansion beyond core missions of the bureaus.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $7.8 billion for the Department of Commerce, a $1.5
billion or 16 percent decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Strengthens the International Trade Administration’s trade enforcement and compliance func-
tions, including the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations, while rescaling the
agency’s export promotion and trade analysis activities.

• Provides $1.5 billion, an increase of more than $100 million, for the U.S. Census Bureau to
continue preparations for the 2020 Decennial Census. This additional funding prioritizes fun-
damental investments in information technology and field infrastructure, which would allow
the bureau to more effectively administer the 2020 Decennial Census.

• Consolidates the mission, policy support, and administrative functions of the Economics and
Statistics Administration within the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Census Bureau, and
the Department of Commerce’s Office of the Secretary.

• Eliminates the Economic Development Administration, which provides small grants with lim-
ited measurable impacts and duplicates other Federal programs, such as Rural Utilities Service
grants at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and formula grants to States from the Department
of Transportation. By terminating this agency, the Budget saves $221 million from the 2017
annualized CR level.

14 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

• Eliminates the Minority Business Development Agency, which is duplicative of other Federal,
State, local, and private sector efforts that promote minority business entrepreneurship includ-
ing Small Business Administration District Offices and Small Business Development Centers.

• Saves $124 million by discontinuing Federal funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
(MEP) program, which subsidizes up to half the cost of State centers, which provide consulting
services to small- and medium-size manufacturers. By eliminating Federal funding, MEP cen-
ters would transition solely to non-Federal revenue sources, as was originally intended when the
program was established.

• Zeroes out over $250 million in targeted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) grants and programs supporting coastal and marine management, research, and edu-
cation including Sea Grant, which primarily benefit industry and State and local stakeholders.
These programs are a lower priority than core functions maintained in the Budget such as
surveys, charting, and fisheries management.

• Maintains the development of NOAA’s current generation of polar orbiting and geostationary
weather satellites, allowing the Joint Polar Satellite System and Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite programs to remain on schedule in order to provide forecasters with
critical weather data to help protect life and property.

• Achieves annual savings from NOAA’s Polar Follow On satellite program from the current
program of record by better reflecting the actual risk of a gap in polar satellite coverage, and pro-
vides additional opportunities to improve robustness of the low earth orbit satellite architecture
by expanding the utilization of commercially provided data to improve weather models.

• Maintains National Weather Service forecasting capabilities by investing more than $1 billion
while continuing to promote efficient and effective operations.

• Continues to support the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
in representing the United States interest at multi-stakeholder forums on internet governance
and digital commerce. The Budget supports the commercial sector’s development of next genera-
tion wireless services by funding NTIA’s mission of evaluating and ensuring the efficient use of
spectrum by Government users.

The Department of Defense (DOD) provides the military forces needed to deter war and
to protect the security of the United States. The budget for DOD ends the depletion of
our military and pursues peace through strength, honoring the Federal Government’s
first responsibility: to protect the Nation. It fully repeals the defense sequestration, while
providing the needed resources for accelerating the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) and for beginning to rebuild the U.S. Armed Forces.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $639 billion for DOD, a $52 billion increase from the
2017 annualized CR level. The total includes $574 billion for the base budget, a 10 percent
increase from the 2017 annualized CR level, and $65 billion for Overseas Contingency
Operations.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Repeals the defense sequestration by restoring $52 billion to DOD, as well as $2 billion to other
national defense programs outside DOD, for a $54 billion total increase for national defense
discretionary budget authority above the sequestration level budget cap. When the Budget
Control Act (BCA) of 2011 was enacted, the defense sequestration was not meant to occur, yet it
has never been fully repealed. This has resulted in nearly $200 billion of national defense cuts
since 2013 and over $200 billion of further projected cuts through 2021, relative to the original
BCA caps alone. Reversing this indiscriminate neglect of the last administration is not only a
fulfillment of the President’s promise, but it is also a requirement if this Nation’s security is to
be maintained. The military’s depletion under President Obama is our foremost challenge. The
President’s 2018 Budget ends the arbitrary depletion of our strength and security, and begins to
rebuild the U.S. Armed Forces.

• Increases DOD’s budget authority by $52 billion above the current 2017 level of $587 billion.
This increase alone exceeds the entire defense budget of most countries, and would be one
of the largest one-year DOD increases in American history. It is exceeded only by the peak
increases of the Reagan Administration and a few of the largest defense increases during
the World Wars and the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan (in constant
dollars, based on GDP chained price index). Unlike spending increases for war, which mostly
consume resources in combat, the increases in the President’s Budget primarily invest in a
stronger military.

16 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

• Provides the resources needed to accelerate the defeat of ISIS. The Budget ensures that DOD
has the tools to stop ISIS from posing a threat to the United States by funding the Department’s
critical efforts to strike ISIS targets, support our partners fighting on the ground, disrupt ISIS’
external operations, and cut off its financing.

• Addresses urgent warfighting readiness needs. Fifteen years of conflict, accompanied in recent
years by budget cuts, have stressed the Armed Forces. The President’s Budget would ensure we
remain the best led, best equipped, and most ready force in the world.

• Begins to rebuild the U.S. Armed Forces by addressing pressing shortfalls, such as insufficient
stocks of critical munitions, personnel gaps, deferred maintenance and modernization, cyber
vulnerabilities, and degraded facilities. The military must reset war losses, address recapital-
ization and maintenance requirements, and recover from years of deferred investment forced by
budget cuts. The President’s Budget would ensure the Armed Forces have the training, equip-
ment, and infrastructure they need.

• Lays the groundwork for a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force, driven by a new
National Defense Strategy that recognizes the need for American superiority not only on land, at
sea, in the air, and in space, but also in cyberspace. As the world has become more dangerous—
through the rise of advanced potential adversaries, the spread of destructive technology, and the
expansion of terrorism—our military has gotten smaller and its technological edge has eroded.
The President’s Budget begins to put an end to this trend, reversing force reductions and restor-
ing critical investments.

• Initiates an ambitious reform agenda to build a military that is as effective and efficient as
possible, and underscores the President’s commitment to reduce the costs of military programs
wherever feasible.

• Strengthens the U.S. Army by rebuilding readiness, reversing end strength reductions, and
preparing for future challenges. This Budget is an initial step toward restoring an Army that
has been stressed by high operational demand and constrained funding levels in recent years.

• Rebuilds the U.S. Navy to better address current and future threats by increasing the total number
of ships. This Budget reflects a down payment on the President’s commitment to expanding the
fleet.

• Ensures a ready and fully equipped Marine Corps. The Budget lays the foundation for a force
that meets the challenges of the 21st Century.

• Accelerates Air Force efforts to improve tactical air fleet readiness, ensure technical superiority,
and repair aging infrastructure. Key investments in maintenance capacity, training systems,
and additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters would enable the Air Force, which is now the smallest
it has been in history, to counter the growing number of complex threats from sophisticated state
actors and transnational terrorist groups.

The Department of Education promotes improving student achievement and access to
opportunity in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. The Department would
refocus its mission on supporting States and school districts in their efforts to provide high
quality education to all our students. Also, it would focus on streamlining and simplifying
funding for college, while continuing to help make college education more affordable. The
2018 Budget places power in the hands of parents and families to choose schools that are
best for their children by investing an additional $1.4 billion in school choice programs. It
continues support for the Nation’s most vulnerable populations, such as students with
disabilities. Overall, the Department would support these investments and carry out its core
mission while lowering costs to the taxpayer by reducing or eliminating funding for programs
that are not effective, that duplicate other efforts, or that do not serve national needs.

The President’s 2018 Budget provides $59 billion in discretionary funding for the
Department of Education, a $9 billion or 13 percent reduction below the 2017 annualized CR
level.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Increases investments in public and private school choice by $1.4 billion compared to the 2017
annualized CR level, ramping up to an annual total of $20 billion, and an estimated $100 billion
including matching State and local funds. This additional investment in 2018 includes a $168
million increase for charter schools, $250 million for a new private school choice program, and
a $1 billion increase for Title I, dedicated to encouraging districts to adopt a system of student-
based budgeting and open enrollment that enables Federal, State, and local funding to follow
the student to the public school of his or her choice.

• Maintains approximately $13 billion in funding for IDEA programs to support students with
special education needs. This funding provides States, school districts, and other grantees with
the resources needed to provide high quality special education and related services to students
and young adults with disabilities.

• Eliminates the $2.4 billion Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program, which is
poorly targeted and spread thinly across thousands of districts with scant evidence of impact.

• Eliminates the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports before-
and after-school programs as well as summer programs, resulting in savings of $1.2 billion from
the 2017 annualized CR level. The programs lacks strong evidence of meeting its objectives,
such as improving student achievement.

18 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

• Eliminates the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, a less well-
targeted way to deliver need-based aid than the Pell Grant program, to reduce complexity in
financial student aid and save $732 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Safeguards the Pell Grant program by level funding the discretionary appropriation while
proposing a cancellation of $3.9 billion from unobligated carryover funding, leaving the Pell
program on sound footing for the next decade.

• Protects support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving
Institutions, which provide opportunities for communities that are often underserved, maintaining
$492 million in funding for programs that serve high percentages of minority students.

• Reduces Federal Work-Study significantly and reforms the poorly-targeted allocation to ensure
funds go to undergraduate students who would benefit most.

• Provides $808 million for the Federal TRIO Programs and $219 million for GEAR UP, resulting
in savings of $193 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Funding to TRIO programs is
reduced in areas that have limited evidence on the overall effectiveness in improving student
outcomes. The Budget funds GEAR UP continuation awards only, pending the completion of an
upcoming rigorous evaluation of a portion of the program.

• Eliminates or reduces over 20 categorical programs that do not address national needs, duplicate
other programs, or are more appropriately supported with State, local, or private funds, including
Striving Readers, Teacher Quality Partnership, Impact Aid Support Payments for Federal
Property, and International Education programs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is charged with ensuring the Nation’s security and
prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through
transformative science and technology solutions. The Budget for DOE demonstrates the
Administration’s commitment to reasserting the proper role of what has become a sprawling
Federal Government and reducing deficit spending. It reflects an increased reliance on
the private sector to fund later-stage research, development, and commercialization of
energy technologies and focuses resources toward early-stage research and development. It
emphasizes energy technologies best positioned to enable American energy independence and
domestic job-growth in the near to mid-term. It also ensures continued progress on cleaning
up sites contaminated from nuclear weapons production and energy research and includes
a path forward to accelerate progress on the disposition of nuclear waste. At the same time,
the Budget demonstrates the Administration’s strong support for the United States’ nuclear
security enterprise and ensures that we have a nuclear force that is second to none.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $28.0 billion for DOE, a $1.7 billion or 5.6 percent
decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level. The Budget would strengthen the Nation’s
nuclear capability by providing a $1.4 billion increase above the 2017 annualized CR level for
the National Nuclear Security Administration, an 11 percent increase.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Provides $120 million to restart licensing activities for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
repository and initiate a robust interim storage program. These investments would accelerate
progress on fulfilling the Federal Government’s obligations to address nuclear waste, enhance
national security, and reduce future taxpayer burden.

• Supports the goals of moving toward a responsive nuclear infrastructure and advancing the
existing program of record for warhead life extension programs through elimination of defense
sequestration for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

• Enables NNSA to begin to address its critical infrastructure maintenance backlog.

• Protects human health and the environment by providing $6.5 billion to advance the
Environmental Management program mission of cleaning up the legacy of waste and
contamination from energy research and nuclear weapons production, including addressing
excess facilities to support modernization of the nuclear security enterprise.

• Eliminates the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the Title 17 Innovative Technology
Loan Guarantee Program, and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program because

20 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

the private sector is better positioned to finance disruptive energy research and development and
to commercialize innovative technologies.

• Ensures the Office of Science continues to invest in the highest priority basic science and energy
research and development as well as operation and maintenance of existing scientific facilities
for the community. This includes a savings of approximately $900 million compared to the 2017
annualized CR level.

• Focuses funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Nuclear
Energy, the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, and the Fossil Energy Research
and Development program on limited, early-stage applied energy research and development
activities where the Federal role is stronger. In addition, the Budget eliminates the Weatherization
Assistance Program and the State Energy Program to reduce Federal intervention in State-level
energy policy and implementation. Collectively, these changes achieve a savings of approximately
$2 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Supports the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability’s capacity to carry out
cybersecurity and grid resiliency activities that would help harden and evolve critical grid
infrastructure that the American people and the economy rely upon.

• Continues the necessary research, development, and construction to support the Navy’s current
nuclear fleet and enhance the capabilities of the future fleet.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) works to enhance the health and
well-being of Americans by providing effective health and human services and by fostering
sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social
services. The Budget supports the core mission of HHS through the most efficient and
effective health and human service programs. In 2018, HHS funds the highest priorities,
such as: health services through community health centers, Ryan White HIV/AIDS
providers, and the Indian Health Service; early care and education; and medical products
review and innovation. In addition, it funds urgent public health issues, such as prescription
drug overdose, and program integrity for Medicare and Medicaid. The Budget eliminates
programs that are duplicative or have limited impact on public health and well-being.
The Budget allows HHS to continue to support priority activities that reflect a new and
sustainable approach to long-term fiscal stability across the Federal Government.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $69.0 billion for HHS, a $15.1 billion or 17.9 percent
decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level. This funding level excludes certain mandatory
spending changes but includes additional funds for program integrity and implementing the
21st Century CURES Act.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Supports direct health care services, such as those delivered by community health centers, Ryan
White HIV/AIDS providers, and the Indian Health Service. These safety net providers deliver
critical health care services to low-income and vulnerable populations.

• Strengthens the integrity and sustainability of Medicare and Medicaid by investing in activities
to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and promote high quality and efficient health care. Additional
funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) program has allowed the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in recent years to shift away from a “pay-and-chase”
model toward identifying and preventing fraudulent or improper payments from being paid in
the first place. The return on investment for the HCFAC account was $5 returned for every $1
expended from 2014-2016. The Budget proposes HCFAC discretionary funding of $751 million
in 2018, which is $70 million higher than the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Supports efficient operations for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance
Program and focuses spending on the highest priority activities necessary to effectively operate
these programs.

22 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

• Supports substance abuse treatment services for the millions of Americans struggling with
substance abuse disorders. The opioid epidemic, which took more than 33,000 lives in calendar
year 2015, has a devastating effect on America’s families and communities. In addition to
funding Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration substance abuse treatment
activities, the Budget also includes a $500 million increase above 2016 enacted levels to expand
opioid misuse prevention efforts and to increase access to treatment and recovery services to help
Americans who are misusing opioids get the help they need.

• Recalibrates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) medical product user fees to over $2 billion
in 2018, approximately $1 billion over the 2017 annualized CR level, and replaces the need for
new budget authority to cover pre-market review costs. To complement the increase in medical
product user fees, the Budget includes a package of administrative actions designed to achieve
regulatory efficiency and speed the development of safe and effective medical products. In a
constrained budget environment, industries that benefit from FDA’s approval can and should pay
for their share.

• Reduces the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) spending relative to the 2017 annualized
CR level by $5.8 billion to $25.9 billion. The Budget includes a major reorganization of NIH’s
Institutes and Centers to help focus resources on the highest priority research and training
activities, including: eliminating the Fogarty International Center; consolidating the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality within NIH; and other consolidations and structural changes
across NIH organizations and activities. The Budget also reduces administrative costs and
rebalance Federal contributions to research funding.

• Reforms key public health, emergency preparedness, and prevention programs. For example,
the Budget restructures similar HHS preparedness grants to reduce overlap and administrative
costs and directs resources to States with the greatest need. The Budget also creates a new
Federal Emergency Response Fund to rapidly respond to public health outbreaks, such as Zika
Virus Disease. The Budget also reforms the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through
a new $500 million block grant to increase State flexibility and focus on the leading public health
challenges specific to each State.

• Invests in mental health activities that are awarded to high-performing entities and focus on
high priority areas, such as suicide prevention, serious mental illness, and children’s mental
health.

• Eliminates $403 million in health professions and nursing training programs, which lack
evidence that they significantly improve the Nation’s health workforce. The Budget continues to
fund health workforce activities that provide scholarships and loan repayments in exchange for
service in areas of the United States where there is a shortage of health professionals.

• Eliminates the discretionary programs within the Office of Community Services, including the
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block
Grant (CSBG), a savings of $4.2 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level. Compared to other
income support programs that serve similar populations, LIHEAP is a lower-impact program and
is unable to demonstrate strong performance outcomes. CSBG funds services that are duplicative
of other Federal programs, such as emergency food assistance and employment services, and is
also a limited-impact program.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a vital mission: to secure the Nation from
the many threats it faces. This requires the dedication of more than 240,000 employees in
jobs that ensure the security of the U.S. borders, support the integrity of its immigration
system, protect air travelers and national leaders, reduce the threat of cyber attacks, and
stand prepared for emergency response and disaster recovery. The Budget prioritizes DHS
law enforcement operations, proposes critical investments in frontline border security,
and funds continued development of strong cybersecurity defenses. The Budget would
aggressively implement the President’s commitment to construct a physical wall along the
southern border as directed by his January 25, 2017 Executive Order, and ensures robust
funding for other important DHS missions.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $44.1 billion in net discretionary budget authority for
DHS, a $2.8 billion or 6.8 percent increase from the 2017 annualized CR level. The Budget
would allocate $4.5 billion in additional funding for programs to strengthen the security of
the Nation’s borders and enhance the integrity of its immigration system. This increased
investment in the Nation’s border security and immigration enforcement efforts now would
ultimately save Federal resources in the future.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Secures the borders of the United States by investing $2.6 billion in high-priority tactical in-
frastructure and border security technology, including funding to plan, design, and construct
a physical wall along the southern border as directed by the President’s January 25, 2017
Executive Order. This investment would strengthen border security, helping stem the flow of
people and drugs illegally crossing the U.S. borders.

• Advances the President’s plan to strengthen border security and immigration enforcement
with $314 million to recruit, hire, and train 500 new Border Patrol Agents and 1,000 new
Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement personnel in 2018, plus associated
support staff. These new personnel would improve the integrity of the immigration system by
adding capacity to interdict those aliens attempting to cross the border illegally, as well as to
identify and remove those already in the United States who entered illegally.

• Enhances enforcement of immigration laws by proposing an additional $1.5 billion above the 2017
annualized CR level for expanded detention, transportation, and removal of illegal immigrants.

24 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

These funds would ensure that DHS has sufficient detention capacity to hold prioritized aliens,
including violent criminals and other dangerous individuals, as they are processed for removal.

• Invests $15 million to begin implementation of mandatory nationwide use of the E-Verify
Program, an internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their
new employees to work in the United States. This investment would strengthen the employment
verification process and reduce unauthorized employment across the U.S.

• Safeguards cyberspace with $1.5 billion for DHS activities that protect Federal networks and
critical infrastructure from an attack. Through a suite of advanced cyber security tools and
more assertive defense of Government networks, DHS would share more cybersecurity incident
information with other Federal agencies and the private sector, leading to faster responses to
cybersecurity attacks directed at Federal networks and critical infrastructure.

• Restructures selected user fees for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to ensure that the cost of Government services is not
subsidized by taxpayers who do not directly benefit from those programs. The Budget proposes
to raise the Passenger Security Fee to recover 75 percent of the cost of TSA aviation security op-
erations. The Budget proposes eliminating the discretionary appropriation for the NFIP’s Flood
Hazard Mapping Program, a savings of $190 million, to instead explore other more effective and
fair means of funding flood mapping efforts.

• Eliminates or reduces State and local grant funding by $667 million for programs administered
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that are either unauthorized by the
Congress, such as FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, or that must provide more
measurable results and ensure the Federal Government is not supplanting other stakeholders’
responsibilities, such as the Homeland Security Grant Program. For that reason, the Budget
also proposes establishing a 25 percent non-Federal cost match for FEMA preparedness grant
awards that currently require no cost match. This is the same cost-sharing approach as FEMA’s
disaster recovery grants. The activities and acquisitions funded through these grant programs
are primarily State and local functions.

• Eliminates and reduces unauthorized and underperforming programs administered by TSA
in order to strengthen screening at airport security checkpoints, a savings of $80 million from
the 2017 annualized CR level. These savings include reductions to the Visible Intermodal
Prevention and Response program, which achieves few Federal law enforcement priorities, and
elimination of TSA grants to State and local jurisdictions, a program intended to incentivize lo-
cal law enforcement patrols that should already be a high priority for State and local partners.
In addition, the Budget reflects TSA’s decision in the summer of 2016 to eliminate the Behavior
Detection Officer program, reassigning all of those personnel to front line airport security op-
erations. Such efforts refocus TSA on its core mission of protecting travelers and ensuring
Federal security standards are enforced throughout the transportation system.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) promotes decent, safe, and
affordable housing for Americans and provides access to homeownership opportunities. This
Budget reflects the President’s commitment to fiscal responsibility while supporting critical
functions that provide rental assistance to low-income and vulnerable households and help
work-eligible families achieve self-sufficiency. The Budget also recognizes a greater role for
State and local governments and the private sector to address community and economic
development needs.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $40.7 billion in gross discretionary funding for HUD, a
$6.2 billion or 13.2 percent decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level.

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Provides over $35 billion for HUD’s rental assistance programs and proposes reforms that re-
duce costs while continuing to assist 4.5 million low-income households.

• Eliminates funding for the Community Development Block Grant program, a savings of
$3 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level. The Federal Government has spent over $150
billion on this block grant since its inception in 1974, but the program is not well-targeted to the
poorest populations and has not demonstrated results. The Budget devolves community and
economic development activities to the State and local level, and redirects Federal resources to
other activities.

• Promotes fiscal responsibility by eliminating funding for a number of lower priority programs, in-
cluding the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Choice Neighborhoods, and the Self-help
Homeownership Opportunity Program, a savings of over $1.1 billion from the 2017 annualized
CR level. State and local governments are better positioned to serve their communities based
on local needs and priorities.

• Promotes healthy and lead-safe homes by providing $130 million, an increase of $20 million
over the 2017 annualized CR level, for the mitigation of lead-based paint and other hazards
in low-income homes, especially those in which children reside. This also funds enforcement,
education, and research activities to further support this goal, all of which contributes to lower
healthcare costs and increased productivity.

26 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

• Eliminates funding for Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable
Housing, a savings of $35 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. This program is duplicative
of efforts funded by philanthropy and other more flexible private sector investments.

• Supports homeownership through provision of Federal Housing Administration mortgage insur-
ance programs.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) is responsible for protecting and managing vast
areas of U.S. lands and waters, providing scientific and other information about its natural
resources, and meeting the Nation’s trust responsibilities and other commitments to
American Indians, Alaska Natives, and U.S.-affiliated island communities. The Budget
requests an increase in funding for core energy development programs while supporting
DOI’s priority agency mission and trust responsibilities, including public safety, land
conservation and revenue management. It eliminates funding for unnecessary or duplicative
programs while reducing funds for lower priority activities, such as acquiring new lands.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $11.6 billion for DOI, a $1.5 billion or 12 percent
decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Strengthens the Nation’s energy security by increasing funding for DOI programs that support
environmentally responsible development of energy on public lands and offshore waters.
Combined with administrative reforms already in progress, this would allow DOI to streamline
permitting processes and provide industry with access to the energy resources America needs,
while ensuring taxpayers receive a fair return from the development of these public resources.

• Sustains funding for DOI’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue, which manages the collection
and disbursement of roughly $10 billion annually from mineral development, an important
source of revenue to the Federal Treasury, States, and Indian mineral owners.

• Eliminates unnecessary, lower priority, or duplicative programs, including discretionary
Abandoned Mine Land grants that overlap with existing mandatory grants, National Heritage
Areas that are more appropriately funded locally, and National Wildlife Refuge fund payments
to local governments that are duplicative of other payment programs.

• Supports stewardship capacity for land management operations of the National Park Service,
Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. The Budget streamlines operations
while providing the necessary resources for DOI to continue to protect and conserve America’s
public lands and beautiful natural resources, provide access to public lands for the next
generation of outdoor enthusiasts, and ensure visitor safety.

28 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

• Supports tribal sovereignty and self-determination across Indian Country by focusing on core
funding and services to support ongoing tribal government operations. The Budget reduces
funding for more recent demonstration projects and initiatives that only serve a few Tribes.

• Reduces funding for lower priority activities, such as new major acquisitions of Federal land. The
Budget reduces land acquisition funding by more than $120 million from the 2017 annualized
CR level and would instead focus available discretionary funds on investing in, and maintaining,
existing national parks, refuges and public lands.

• Ensures that the National Park Service assets are preserved for future generations by increasing
investment in deferred maintenance projects. Reduces funds for other DOI construction and
major maintenance programs, which can rely on existing resources for 2018.

• Provides more than $900 million for DOI’s U.S. Geological Survey to focus investments in
essential science programs. This includes funding for the Landsat 9 ground system, as well as
research and data collection that informs sustainable energy development, responsible resource
management, and natural hazard risk reduction.

• Leverages taxpayer investment with public and private resources through wildlife conservation,
historic preservation, and recreation grants. These voluntary programs encourage partnerships
by providing matching funds that produce greater benefits to taxpayers for the Federal dollars
invested.

• Budgets responsibly for wildland fire suppression expenses. The Budget would directly provide
the full 10-year rolling average of suppression expenditures.

• Invests over $1 billion in safe, reliable, and efficient management of water resources throughout
the western United States.

• Supports counties through discretionary funding for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)
program at a reduced level, but in line with average funding for PILT over the past decade.

The Department of Justice is charged with enforcing the laws and defending the interests
of the United States, ensuring public safety against foreign and domestic threats, providing
Federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, seeking just punishment for those
guilty of unlawful behavior, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of justice
for all Americans. The budget for the Department of Justice saves taxpayer dollars by
consolidating, reducing, streamlining, and making its programs and operations more
efficient. The Budget also makes critical investments to confront terrorism, reduce violent
crime, tackle the Nation’s opioid epidemic, and combat illegal immigration.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $27.7 billion for the Department of Justice, a $1.1
billion or 3.8 percent decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level. This program level
excludes mandatory spending changes involving the Crime Victims Fund and the Assets
Forfeiture Fund. However, significant targeted increases would enhance the ability to
address key issues, including public safety, law enforcement, and national security. Further,
the Administration is concerned about so-called sanctuary jurisdictions and will be taking
steps to mitigate the risk their actions pose to public safety.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Strengthens counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and Federal law enforcement activities by
providing an increase of $249 million, or 3 percent, above the 2017 annualized CR level for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI would devote resources toward its world-class
cadre of special agents and intelligence analysts, as well as invest $61 million more to fight
terrorism and combat foreign intelligence and cyber threats and address public safety and
national security risks that result from malicious actors’ use of encrypted products and services.
In addition, the FBI would dedicate $35 million to gather and share intelligence data with
partners and together with the Department of Defense (DOD) lead Federal efforts in biometric
identity resolution, research, and development. The FBI would also spend an additional $9
million to provide accurate and timely response for firearms purchase background checks, and
develop and refine evidence and data to target violent crime in some cities and communities.

• Supports efforts at the Department’s law enforcement components by providing a combined
increase of $175 million above the 2017 annualized CR level to target the worst of the worst
criminal organizations and drug traffickers in order to address violent crime, gun-related
deaths, and the opioid epidemic.

30 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

• Enhances national security and counterterrorism efforts by linking skilled prosecutors and
intelligence attorneys with law enforcement investigations and the intelligence community to
stay ahead of threats.

• Combats illegal entry and unlawful presence in the United States by providing an increase
of nearly $80 million, or 19 percent, above the 2017 annualized CR level to hire 75 additional
immigration judge teams to bolster and more efficiently adjudicate removal proceedings—
bringing the total number of funded immigration judge teams to 449.

• Enhances border security and immigration enforcement by providing 60 additional border
enforcement prosecutors and 40 deputy U.S. Marshals for the apprehension, transportation, and
prosecution of criminal aliens.

• Supports the addition of 20 attorneys to pursue Federal efforts to obtain the land and holdings
necessary to secure the Southwest border and another 20 attorneys and support staff for
immigration litigation assistance.

• Assures the safety of the public and law enforcement officers by providing $171 million above the
2017 annualized CR level for additional short-term detention space to hold Federal detainees,
including criminal aliens, parole violators, and other offenders awaiting trial or sentencing.

• Safeguards Federal grants to State, local, and tribal law enforcement and victims of crime to
ensure greater safety for law enforcement personnel and the people they serve. Critical programs
aimed at protecting the life and safety of State and local law enforcement personnel, including
Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement Officer Resilience and Survivability and the
Bulletproof Vest Partnership, are protected.

• Eliminates approximately $700 million in unnecessary spending on outdated programs that
either have met their goal or have exceeded their usefulness, including $210 million for the
poorly targeted State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, in which two-thirds of the funding
primarily reimburses four States for the cost of incarcerating certain illegal criminal aliens.

• Achieves savings of almost a billion dollars from the 2017 annualized CR level in Federal prison
construction spending due to excess capacity resulting from an approximate 14 percent decrease
in the prison population since 2013. However, the Budget provides $80 million above the 2017
annualized CR level for the activation of an existing facility to reduce high security Federal
inmate overcrowding and a total of $113 million to repair and modernize outdated prisons.

• Increases bankruptcy-filing fees to produce an additional $150 million over the 2017 annualized
CR level to ensure that those that use the bankruptcy court system pay for its oversight. By
increasing quarterly filing fees, the total estimated United States Trustee Program offsetting
receipts would reach $289 million in 2018.

The Department of Labor fosters the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees by
safeguarding their working conditions, benefits, and wages. With the need to rebuild the
Nation’s military without increasing the deficit, this Budget focuses the Department of Labor
on its highest priority functions and disinvests in activities that are duplicative, unnecessary,
unproven, or ineffective.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $9.6 billion for the Department of Labor, a $2.5 billion
or 21 percent decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Expands Reemployment and Eligibility Assessments, an evidence-based activity that saves an
average of $536 per claimant in unemployment insurance benefit costs by reducing improper
payments and getting claimants back to work more quickly and at higher wages.

• Reduces funding for ineffective, duplicative, and peripheral job training grants. As part of this,
eliminates the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), for a savings of $434
million from the 2017 annualized CR level. SCSEP is ineffective in meeting its purpose of
transitioning low-income unemployed seniors into unsubsidized jobs. As many as one-third of
participants fail to complete the program and of those who do, only half successfully transition
to unsubsidized employment.

• Focuses the Bureau of International Labor Affairs on ensuring that U.S. trade agreements are
fair for American workers. The Budget eliminates the Bureau’s largely noncompetitive and
unproven grant funding, which would save at least $60 million from the 2017 annualized CR
level.

• Improves Job Corps for the disadvantaged youth it serves by closing centers that do a poor job
educating and preparing students for jobs.

• Decreases Federal support for job training and employment service formula grants, shifting
more responsibility for funding these services to States, localities, and employers.

• Helps States expand apprenticeship, an evidence-based approach to preparing workers for jobs.

32 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

• Refocuses the Office of Disability Employment Policy, eliminating less critical technical assistance
grants and launching an early intervention demonstration project to allow States to test and
evaluate methods that help individuals with disabilities remain attached to or reconnect to the
labor market.

• Eliminates the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s unproven training grants,
yielding savings of almost $11 million from the 2017 annualized CR level and focusing the agency
on its central work of keeping workers safe on the job.

The Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the
Department of the Treasury’s International Programs help to advance the national security
interests of the United States by building a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world.
The Budget for the Department of State and USAID diplomatic and development activities
is being refocused on priority strategic objectives and renewed attention is being placed on
the appropriate U.S. share of international spending. In addition, the Budget seeks to reduce
or end direct funding for international organizations whose missions do not substantially
advance U.S. foreign policy interests, are duplicative, or are not well-managed. Additional
steps will be taken to make the Department and USAID leaner, more efficient, and more
effective. These steps to reduce foreign assistance free up funding for critical priorities here
at home and put America first.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $25.6 billion in base funding for the Department of
State and USAID, a $10.1 billion or 28 percent reduction from the 2017 annualized CR level.
The Budget also requests $12.0 billion as Overseas Contingency Operations funding for
extraordinary costs, primarily in war areas like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, for an agency
total of $37.6 billion. The 2018 Budget also requests $1.5 billion for Treasury International
Programs, an $803 million or 35 percent reduction from the 2017 annualized CR level.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, USAID, AND
TREASURY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Maintains robust funding levels for embassy security and other core diplomatic activities while
implementing efficiencies. Consistent with the Benghazi Accountability Review Board recom-
mendation, the Budget applies $2.2 billion toward new embassy construction and maintenance
in 2018. Maintaining adequate embassy security levels requires the efficient and effective use
of available resources to keep embassy employees safe.

• Provides $3.1 billion to meet the security assistance commitment to Israel, currently at an all-
time high; ensuring that Israel has the ability to defend itself from threats and maintain its
Qualitative Military Edge.

• Eliminates the Global Climate Change Initiative and fulfills the President’s pledge to cease
payments to the United Nations’ (UN) climate change programs by eliminating U.S. funding
related to the Green Climate Fund and its two precursor Climate Investment Funds.

• Provides sufficient resources on a path to fulfill the $1 billion U.S. pledge to Gavi, the Vaccine
Alliance. This commitment helps support Gavi to vaccinate hundreds of millions of children in
low-resource countries and save millions of lives.

34 DEPARTMENT OF STATE, USAID, AND TREASURY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

• Provides sufficient resources to maintain current commitments and all current patient levels
on HIV/AIDS treatment under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and
maintains funding for malaria programs. The Budget also meets U.S. commitments to the Global
Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria by providing 33 percent of projected contributions from
all donors, consistent with the limit currently in law.

• Shifts some foreign military assistance from grants to loans in order to reduce costs for the U.S.
taxpayer, while potentially allowing recipients to purchase more American-made weaponry with
U.S. assistance, but on a repayable basis.

• Reduces funding to the UN and affiliated agencies, including UN peacekeeping and other inter-
national organizations, by setting the expectation that these organizations rein in costs and that
the funding burden be shared more fairly among members. The amount the U.S. would contrib-
ute to the UN budget would be reduced and the U.S. would not contribute more than 25 percent
for UN peacekeeping costs.

• Refocuses economic and development assistance to countries of greatest strategic importance to
the U.S. and ensures the effectiveness of U.S. taxpayer investments by rightsizing funding across
countries and sectors.

• Allows for significant funding of humanitarian assistance, including food aid, disaster, and refu-
gee program funding. This would focus funding on the highest priority areas while asking the
rest of the world to pay their fair share. The Budget eliminates the Emergency Refugee and
Migration Assistance account, a duplicative and stovepiped account, and challenges internation-
al and non-governmental relief organizations to become more efficient and effective.

• Reduces funding for the Department of State’s Educational and Cultural Exchange (ECE)
Programs. ECE resources would focus on sustaining the flagship Fulbright Program, which
forges lasting connections between Americans and emerging leaders around the globe.

• Improves efficiency by eliminating overlapping peacekeeping and security capacity building ef-
forts and duplicative contingency programs, such as the Complex Crises Fund. The Budget also
eliminates direct appropriations to small organizations that receive funding from other sources
and can continue to operate without direct Federal funds, such as the East-West Center.

• Recognizes the need for State and USAID to pursue greater efficiencies through reorganization
and consolidation in order to enable effective diplomacy and development.

• Reduces funding for multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, by approximate-
ly $650 million over three years compared to commitments made by the previous administration.
Even with the proposed decreases, the U.S. would retain its current status as a top donor while
saving taxpayer dollars.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for ensuring a fast, safe, efficient,
accessible, and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests
and enhances the quality of life of the American people today, and into the future. The
Budget request reflects a streamlined DOT that is focused on performing vital Federal safety
oversight functions and investing in nationally and regionally significant transportation
infrastructure projects. The Budget reduces or eliminates programs that are either
inefficient, duplicative of other Federal efforts, or that involve activities that are better
delivered by States, localities, or the private sector.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $16.2 billion for DOT’s discretionary budget, a $2.4
billion or 13 percent decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Initiates a multi-year reauthorization proposal to shift the air traffic control function of the
Federal Aviation Administration to an independent, non-governmental organization, making
the system more efficient and innovative while maintaining safety. This would benefit the
flying public and taxpayers overall.

• Restructures and reduces Federal subsidies to Amtrak to focus resources on the parts of the
passenger rail system that provide meaningful transportation options within regions. The
Budget terminates Federal support for Amtrak’s long distance train services, which have long
been inefficient and incur the vast majority of Amtrak’s operating losses. This would allow
Amtrak to focus on better managing its State-supported and Northeast Corridor train services.

• Limits funding for the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program (New
Starts) to projects with existing full funding grant agreements only. Future investments in
new transit projects would be funded by the localities that use and benefit from these localized
projects.

• Eliminates funding for the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which was originally conceived
of as a temporary program nearly 40 years ago to provide subsidized commercial air service
to rural airports. EAS flights are not full and have high subsidy costs per passenger. Several
EAS-eligible communities are relatively close to major airports, and communities that have
EAS could be served by other existing modes of transportation. This proposal would result in a
discretionary savings of $175 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.

36 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONDEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

• Eliminates funding for the unauthorized TIGER discretionary grant program, which awards
grants to projects that are generally eligible for funding under existing surface transportation
formula programs, saving $499 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Further, DOT’s
Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects grant program, authorized by the FAST Act
of 2015, supports larger highway and multimodal freight projects with demonstrable national or
regional benefits. This grant program is authorized at an annual average of $900 million through
2020.

The Department of the Treasury is charged with maintaining a strong economy, promoting
conditions that enable economic growth and stability, protecting the integrity of the financial
system, and managing the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively. The Budget
will bring renewed discipline to the Department by focusing resources on collecting revenue,
managing the Nation’s debt, protecting the financial system from threats, and combating
financial crime and terrorism financing.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $12.1 billion in discretionary resources for the
Department of the Treasury’s domestic programs, a $519 million or 4.1 percent decrease from
the 2017 annualized CR level. This program level excludes mandatory spending changes
involving the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Preserves key operations of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that the IRS could
continue to combat identity theft, prevent fraud, and reduce the deficit through the effective
enforcement and administration of tax laws. Diverting resources from antiquated operations
that are still reliant on paper-based review in the era of electronic tax filing would achieve sig-
nificant savings, a funding reduction of $239 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Strengthens cybersecurity by investing in a Department-wide plan to strategically enhance
existing security systems and preempt fragmentation of information technology management
across the bureaus, positioning Treasury to anticipate and nimbly respond in the event of a
cyberattack.

• Prioritizes funding for Treasury’s array of economic enforcement tools. Key Treasury programs
that freeze the accounts of terrorists and proliferators, implement sanctions on rogue nations,
and link law enforcement agencies with financial institutions are critical to the continued safety
and financial stability of the Nation.

• Eliminates funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund grants,
a savings of $210 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. The CDFI Fund was created
more than 20 years ago to jump-start a now mature industry where private institutions have
ready access to the capital needed to extend credit and provide financial services to underserved
communities.

38 DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURYDEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

• Empowers the Treasury Secretary, as Chairperson of the Financial Stability Oversight Council,
to end taxpayer bailouts and foster economic growth by advancing financial regulatory reforms
that promote market discipline and ensure the accountability of financial regulators.

• Shrinks the Federal workforce and increases its efficiency by redirecting resources away from
duplicative policy offices to staff that manage the Nation’s finances.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides health care and a wide variety of
benefits to military veterans and their survivors. The 2018 Budget fulfills the President’s
commitment to the Nation’s veterans by requesting the resources necessary to provide the
support our veterans have earned through sacrifice and service to our Nation. The Budget
significantly increases funding for VA Medical Care so that VA can continue to meet the
ever-growing demand for health care services while building an integrated system of care
that strengthens services within VA and makes effective use of community services. The
Budget request includes increased funding for and extension of the Veterans Choice Program,
making it easier for eligible veterans to access the medical care they need, close to home.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $78.9 billion in discretionary funding for VA, a
$4.4 billion or 6 percent increase from the 2017 enacted level. The Budget also requests
legislative authority and $3.5 billion in mandatory budget authority in 2018 to continue the
Veterans Choice Program.

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Ensures the Nation’s veterans receive high-quality health care and timely access to benefits
and services. An estimated 11 million veterans participate in VA programs. This Budget pro-
vides the resources necessary to ensure veterans receive the care and support earned through
their service to the Nation.

• Provides a $4.6 billion increase in discretionary funding for VA health care to improve patient
access and timeliness of medical care services for over nine million enrolled veterans. This
funding would enable the Department to provide a broad range of primary care, specialized
care, and related medical and social support services to enrolled veterans, including services
that are uniquely related to veterans’ health and special needs.

• Extends and funds the Veterans Choice Program to ensure that every eligible veteran continues
to have the choice to seek care at VA or through a private provider. Without action, this criti-
cal program will expire in August 2017, which would result in veterans having fewer choices of
where to receive care.

• Supports VA programs that provide services to homeless and at-risk veterans and their families
to help keep them safe and sheltered.

• Provides access to education benefits, enhanced services, and other programs to assist veterans’
transition to civilian life. VA partners with other agencies to provide critical training, support
services, and counseling throughout a veteran’s transition and their post-military career.

40 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

• Continues critical investments aimed at optimizing productivity and transforming VA’s claims
processes. Provides resources to reduce the time required to process and adjudicate veterans’
disability compensation claims.

• Invests in information technology to improve the efficiency and efficacy of VA services. Provides
sufficient funding for sustainment, development, and modernization initiatives that would im-
prove the quality of services provided to veterans and avoid the costs of maintaining outdated,
inefficient systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting human health and
the environment. The budget for EPA reflects the success of environmental protection efforts,
a focus on core legal requirements, the important role of the States in implementing the
Nation’s environmental laws, and the President’s priority to ease the burden of unnecessary
Federal regulations that impose significant costs for workers and consumers without
justifiable environmental benefits. This would result in approximately 3,200 fewer positions
at the agency. EPA would primarily support States and Tribes in their important role
protecting air, land, and water in the 21st Century.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $5.7 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a
savings of $2.6 billion, or 31 percent, from the 2017 annualized CR level.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Provides robust funding for critical drinking and wastewater infrastructure. These funding
levels further the President’s ongoing commitment to infrastructure repair and replacement
and would allow States, municipalities, and private entities to continue to finance high priority
infrastructure investments that protect human health. The Budget includes $2.3 billion for the
State Revolving Funds, a $4 million increase over the 2017 annualized CR level. The Budget
also provides $20 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program,
equal to the funding provided in the 2017 annualized CR. This credit subsidy could potentially
support $1 billion in direct Federal loans.

• Discontinues funding for the Clean Power Plan, international climate change programs, climate
change research and partnership programs, and related efforts—saving over $100 million for
the American taxpayer compared to 2017 annualized CR levels. Consistent with the President’s
America First Energy Plan, the Budget reorients EPA’s air program to protect the air we breathe
without unduly burdening the American economy.

• Reins in Superfund administrative costs and emphasizes efficiency efforts by funding
the Hazardous Substance Superfund Account at $762 million, $330 million below the 2017
annualized CR level. The agency would prioritize the use of existing settlement funds to clean
up hazardous waste sites and look for ways to remove some of the barriers that have delayed
the program’s ability to return sites to the community.

• Avoids duplication by concentrating EPA’s enforcement of environmental protection violations
on programs that are not delegated to States, while providing oversight to maintain consistency
and assistance across State, local, and tribal programs. This reduces EPA’s Office of Enforcement

42 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

and Compliance Assurance budget to $419 million, which is $129 million below the 2017
annualized CR level.

• Better targets EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) at a level of approximately $250
million, which would result in a savings of $233 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. ORD
would prioritize activities that support decision-making related to core environmental statutory
requirements, as opposed to extramural activities, such as providing STAR grants.

• Supports Categorical Grants with $597 million, a $482 million reduction below 2017 annualized
CR levels. These lower levels are in line with the broader strategy of streamlining environmental
protection. This funding level eliminates or substantially reduces Federal investment in State
environmental activities that go beyond EPA’s statutory requirements.

• Eliminates funding for specific regional efforts such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,
the Chesapeake Bay, and other geographic programs. These geographic program eliminations are
$427 million lower than the 2017 annualized CR levels. The Budget returns the responsibility
for funding local environmental efforts and programs to State and local entities, allowing EPA to
focus on its highest national priorities.

• Eliminates more than 50 EPA programs, saving an additional $347 million compared to the
2017 annualized CR level. Lower priority and poorly performing programs and grants are not
funded, nor are duplicative functions that can be absorbed into other programs or that are State
and local responsibilities. Examples of eliminations in addition to those previously mentioned
include: Energy Star; Targeted Airshed Grants; the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program;
and infrastructure assistance to Alaska Native Villages and the Mexico Border.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is responsible for increasing
understanding of the universe and our place in it, advancing America’s world-leading
aerospace technology, inspiring the Nation, and opening the space frontier. The Budget
increases cooperation with industry through the use of public-private partnerships, focuses
the Nation’s efforts on deep space exploration rather than Earth-centric research, and
develops technologies that would help achieve U.S. space goals and benefit the economy.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $19.1 billion for NASA, a 0.8 percent decrease from the
2017 annualized CR level, with targeted increases consistent with the President’s priorities.

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Supports and expands public-private partnerships as the foundation of future U.S. civilian space
efforts. The Budget creates new opportunities for collaboration with industry on space station
operations, supports public-private partnerships for deep-space habitation and exploration
systems, funds data buys from companies operating small satellite constellations, and supports
work with industry to develop and commercialize new space technologies.

• Paves the way for eventual over-land commercial supersonic flights and safer, more efficient
air travel with a strong program of aeronautics research. The Budget provides $624 million for
aeronautics research and development.

• Reinvigorates robotic exploration of the Solar System by providing $1.9 billion for the Planetary
Science program, including funding for a mission to repeatedly fly by Jupiter’s icy ocean moon
Europa and a Mars rover that would launch in 2020. To preserve the balance of NASA’s science
portfolio and maintain flexibility to conduct missions that were determined to be more important
by the science community, the Budget provides no funding for a multi-billion-dollar mission to
land on Europa. The Budget also supports initiatives that use smaller, less expensive satellites
to advance science in a cost-effective manner.

• Provides $3.7 billion for continued development of the Orion crew vehicle, Space Launch
System, and associated ground system, to send American astronauts on deep-space missions. To
accommodate increasing development costs, the Budget cancels the multi-billion-dollar Asteroid
Redirect Mission. NASA will investigate approaches for reducing the costs of exploration
missions to enable a more expansive exploration program.

• Provides $1.8 billion for a focused, balanced Earth science portfolio that supports the priorities
of the science and applications communities, a savings of $102 million from the 2017 annualized
CR level. The Budget terminates four Earth science missions (PACE, OCO-3, DSCOVR

44 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Earth-viewing instruments, and CLARREO Pathfinder) and reduces funding for Earth science
research grants.

• Eliminates the $115 million Office of Education, resulting in a more focused education effort
through NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The Office of Education has experienced significant
challenges in implementing a NASA-wide education strategy and is performing functions that
are duplicative of other parts of the agency.

• Restructures a duplicative robotic satellite refueling demonstration mission to reduce its cost
and better position it to support a nascent commercial satellite servicing industry, resulting in a
savings of $88 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Strengthens NASA’s cybersecurity capabilities, safeguarding critical systems and data.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) ensures that small businesses have the tools and
resources needed to start and develop their operations, drive U.S. competitiveness, and help
grow the economy. The President is committed to assisting small businesses succeed through
reducing the regulatory and tax burdens that can impede the development of small firms.
The Budget increases efficiency through responsible reductions to redundant programs and
by eliminating programs that deliver services better provided by the private sector.

The President’s 2018 Budget requests $826.5 million for SBA, a $43.2 million or 5.0 percent
decrease from the 2017 annualized CR level.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

The President’s 2018 Budget:

• Supports more than $45 billion in loan guarantees to assist America’s small business owners
with access to affordable capital to start or expand their businesses.

• Strengthens SBA’s outreach center programs by reducing duplicative services, coordinating best
practices, and investing in communities that would benefit from SBA’s business center support.
As a result, SBA would be better positioned to strengthen local partnerships and more effi-
ciently serve program participants while achieving savings over the 2017 annualized CR level.

• Supports over $1 billion in disaster relief lending to businesses, homeowners, renters, and prop-
erty owners to help American communities recover quickly in the wake of declared disasters.
Through the disaster loan program, SBA is able to provide affordable, accessible, and immedi-
ate direct assistance to those hardest hit when disaster strikes.

• Achieves $12 million in cost savings from the 2017 annualized CR level through identifying and
eliminating those SBA grant programs where the private sector provides effective mechanisms
to foster local business development and investment. Eliminations include PRIME technical
assistance grants, Regional Innovation Clusters, and Growth Accelerators.

• Provides training and support services for transitioning service members and veterans to pro-
mote entrepreneurship and business ownership. These programs help to fulfill the President’s
commitment to support the Nation’s veterans by providing business counseling, lending, and
contracting assistance.

• Maintains $28 million in microloan financing and technical assistance to help serve, strength-
en, and sustain the smallest of small businesses and startups.

• Allows SBA to advocate and assist small businesses in accessing Federal contracts and small
business research opportunities Government-wide.

47
Summary Tables

AMERICA FIRST: A BUDGET BLUEPRINT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN 49

Table 1� Proposed Discretionary
Caps for 2018 Budget

(Budget authority in billions of dollars)

Caps

2017 2018

Current Law Base Caps: 1

Defense ……………………………………………………………………………… 551 549
Non-Defense ………………………………………………………………………. 519 516

Total, Current Law Base Caps �� 1,070 1,065

Proposed Base Cap Changes: 2

Defense ………………………………………………………………………………. +25 +54
Non-Defense ……………………………………………………………………….. –15 –54

Total, Proposed Changes �� +10 ��

Proposed Base Caps:
Defense ……………………………………………………………………………… 576 603
Non-Defense ………………………………………………………………………. 504 462

Total, Proposed Base Caps �� 1,080 1,065

Enacted and Proposed Cap Adjustments:
Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) 2 …………………………… 89 77
Emergency Funding ……………………………………………………………. 3 ………
Program Integrity ………………………………………………………………. 2 2
Disaster Relief ……………………………………………………………………. 8 7

Total, Cap Adjustments �� 102 86

Total, Discretionary Budget Authority �� 1,181 1,151

21st Century CURES appropriations 3 ………………………………………. 1 1
1 The caps presented here are equal to the levels specified for 2017 and 2018 in the

Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended (BBED-
CA). The 2017 caps were revised in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and the
2018 caps include OMB estimates of Joint Committee enforcement (also known as
“sequestration”).

2 The Administration proposes an increase in the existing defense caps for 2017 and
2018 that is offset with decreases to the non-defense caps. About 60 percent of the
2017 defense increase is offset by non-defense decreases in 2017 while the entire
defense increase in 2018 is offset by non-defense decreases. An additional $5 bil-
lion in defense funding is proposed as OCO in 2017.

3 The 21st Century CURES Act permitted funds to be appropriated each year for cer-
tain activities outside of the discretionary caps so long as the appropriations were
specifically provided for the authorized purposes. These amounts are displayed
outside of the discretionary totals for this reason.

50 SUMMARY TABLES

Table 2� 2018 Discretionary Overview by Major Agency
(Net discretionary BA in billions of dollars)

2017
CR/Enacted 1,2

2018
Request 2

2018 Request Less
2017 CR/Enacted

Dollar Percent

Base Discretionary Funding:

Cabinet Departments:
Agriculture 3 ………………………………………………………………………. 22.6 17.9 –4.7 –20.7%
Commerce ………………………………………………………………………….. 9.2 7.8 –1.5 –15.7%
Defense ……………………………………………………………………………… 521.7 574.0 +52.3 +10.0%
Education …………………………………………………………………………… 68.2 59.0 –9.2 –13.5%
Energy ………………………………………………………………………………. 29.7 28.0 –1.7 –5.6%

National Nuclear Security Administration ……………………….. 12.5 13.9 +1.4 +11.3%
Other Energy ………………………………………………………………….. 17.2 14.1 –3.1 –17.9%

Health and Human Services 4 ……………………………………………… 77.7 65.1 –12.6 –16.2%
Homeland Security …………………………………………………………….. 41.3 44.1 +2.8 +6.8%
Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

HUD gross total (excluding receipts) …………………………………. 46.9 40.7 –6.2 –13.2%
HUD receipts 5 ………………………………………………………………… –10.9 –9.0 +1.9 N/A

Interior ………………………………………………………………………………. 13.2 11.6 –1.5 –11.7%
Justice (DOJ):

DOJ program level (excluding offsets) ………………………………. 28.8 27.7 –1.1 –3.8%
DOJ mandatory spending changes (CHIMPs) ……………………. –8.5 –11.5 –2.9 N/A

Labor …………………………………………………………………………………. 12.2 9.6 –2.5 –20.7%
State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),

and Treasury International Programs 3 …………………………….. 38.0 27.1 –10.9 –28.7%
Transportation …………………………………………………………………… 18.6 16.2 –2.4 –12.7%
Treasury ……………………………………………………………………………. 11.7 11.2 –0.5 –4.4%
Veterans Affairs ………………………………………………………………….. 74.5 78.9 +4.4 +5.9%

Major Agencies:
Corps of Engineers ……………………………………………………………… 6.0 5.0 –1.0 –16.3%
Environmental Protection Agency ……………………………………….. 8.2 5.7 –2.6 –31.4%
General Services Administration …………………………………………. 0.3 0.5 +0.3 N/A
National Aeronautics and Space Administration …………………… 19.2 19.1 –0.2 –0.8%
Small Business Administration ……………………………………………. 0.9 0.8 -* –5.0%
Social Security Administration 4 ………………………………………….. 9.3 9.3 +* +0.2%

Other Agencies ………………………………………………………………………. 29.4 26.5 –2.9 –9.8%

Subtotal, Discretionary Base Budget Authority �� 1,068�1 1,065�4 –2�7 –0�3%

Cap Adjustment Funding:

Overseas Contingency Operations:
Defense ……………………………………………………………………………… 65.0 64.6 –0.4 –0.6%
State and USAID ……………………………………………………………….. 19.2 12.0 –7.2 –37.4%
Other Agencies …………………………………………………………………… 0.2 ……… –0.2 –100.0%

Subtotal, Overseas Contingency Operations …………………………….. 84.3 76.6 –7.8 –9.2%

Emergency Requirements:
Transportation …………………………………………………………………… 1.0 ……… –1.0 –100.0%
Corps of Engineers ……………………………………………………………… 1.0 ……… –1.0 –100.0%
Other Agencies …………………………………………………………………… 0.7 ……… –0.7 –100.0%

Subtotal, Emergency Requirements ………………………………………… 2.7 ……… –2.7 –100.0%

Program Integrity:
Health and Human Services ……………………………………………….. 0.4 0.4 +0.1 +17.3%
Social Security Administration …………………………………………… 1.2 1.5 +0.3 +26.8%

Subtotal, Program Integrity ……………………………………………………. 1.5 1.9 +0.4 +24.5%

AMERICA FIRST: A BUDGET BLUEPRINT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN 51

Table 2� 2018 Discretionary Overview by Major Agency—Continued
(Net discretionary BA in billions of dollars)

2017
CR/Enacted 1,2
2018
Request 2
2018 Request Less
2017 CR/Enacted
Dollar Percent

Disaster Relief: 6

Homeland Security and Other Agencies ……………………………….. 6.7 7.4 +0.7 +9.7%
Housing and Urban Development ………………………………………… 1.4 ……… –1.4 –100.0%

Subtotal, Disaster Relief …………………………………………………………. 8.1 7.4 –0.8 –9.4%

Subtotal, Cap Adjustment Funding �� 96�7 85�9 –10�8 –11�2%

Total, Discretionary Budget Authority �� 1,164�8 1,151�2 –13�6 –1�2%

Memorandum: 21st Century CURES appropriations 7

Health and Human Services ………………………………………………… 0.9 1.1 +0.2 +21.1%
* $50 million or less.
1 The 2017 CR/Enacted column reflects enacted appropriations and levels of continuing appropriations provided under the Continu-

ing Appropriations Act, 2017 (Division C of Public Law 114–223, as amended by Division A of Public Law 114–254) that are due to
expire on April 28. The levels presented here are the amounts OMB scores under the caps; therefore, the levels for 2017 may differ
in total from those on Table 1.

2 Enacted, continuing, and proposed changes in mandatory programs (CHIMPs) are included in both 2017 and 2018. Some agency
presentations in this volume where noted reflect a program level that excludes these amounts.

3 Funding for Food for Peace Title II Grants is included in the State, USAID, and Treasury International programs total. Although the
funds are appropriated to the Department of Agriculture, the funds are administered by USAID.

4 Funding from the Hospital Insurance and Supplementary Medical Insurance trust funds for administrative expenses incurred by the
Social Security Administration that support the Medicare program are included in the Health and Human Services total and not in
the Social Security Administration total.

5 HUD receipt levels for 2018 are a placeholder and subject to change as detailed estimates under the Administration’s economic and
technical assumptions for the full Budget are finalized.

6 The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 authorizes an adjustment to the discretionary spending caps for
appropriations that are designated by the Congress as being for “disaster relief” provided those appropriations are for activities car-
ried out pursuant to a determination under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Currently, based
on enacted and continuing appropriations, OMB estimates the total adjustment available for disaster funding for 2018 at $7,366
million. Further details, including any revisions necessary to account for final 2017 appropriations and the specific amounts of
disaster relief funding requested for individual agencies in 2018 authorized to administer disaster relief programs, will be provided
in subsequent Administration proposals.

7 The 21st Century CURES Act permitted funds to be appropriated each year for certain activities outside of the discretionary caps
so long as the appropriations were specifically provided for the authorized purposes. These amounts are displayed outside of the
discretionary totals for this reason.

52 SUMMARY TABLES

Table 3� Major 2018 Budget Changes from Current Law
(Budget authority in billions of dollars)

2018 Caps 1 Change:

Current
Law 2 Proposed Dollars Percent

Discretionary Categories:

Defense ……………………………………………………………………….. 549 603 +54 +10%

Non-Defense …………………………………………………………………. 516 462 –54 –10%

Total, 2018 Base Caps �� 1,065 1,065 ��
* $500 million or less.
1 Only base funding caps are represented on this table and cap adjustments permitted by the Balanced

Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for overseas contingency operations, disaster relief,
program integrity, and emergency requirements are excluded.

2 The current law caps are equal to the levels specified for 2018 in the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, including OMB estimates for Joint Committee enforcement (also known as
“sequestration”).

AMERICA FIRST: A BUDGET BLUEPRINT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN 53

Table 4� Major 2017 Changes from
Security Supplemental Request

(Budget authority in billions of dollars)

2017 Caps Change:

Current
Law Proposed 1 Dollars Percent

Discretionary Categories:

Defense ……………………………………………………………………….. 551 576 +25 +5%

Non-Defense …………………………………………………………………. 519 504 –15 –3%
Major Changes:

Border Wall and implementation of Executive Orders .. ……… 3 +3 N/A
Other Non-Defense programs …………………………………… 519 501 –18 –3%

Total, 2018 Base Caps ……………………………………………………. 1,070 1,080 +10 +1%

Cap Adjustments:
Defense Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) …………… 65 70 +5 +8%
1 The Administration proposes an increase in the existing defense cap for 2017 that is partially offset with

a decrease to the non-defense cap while an additional $5 billion defense request in 2017 is requested as
OCO.

Executive Office of the President

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