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September 6, 2017
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2018 Appropriations
Congress generally funds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS, an agency within the Department of the
Interior [DOI]) in Title I of annual appropriations laws for
the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies.
FWS appropriations fund the conservation, protection, and
enhancement of fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats.
This is accomplished through various actions: resource
management and conservation, construction projects, land
acquisition, and payments and grants to states and other
parties. In addition to discretionary appropriations, FWS
receives mandatory appropriations, most of which are
disbursed directly to states. In FY2018, $1.46 billion was
proposed for mandatory appropriations. Issues for Congress
include the aggregate level of FWS funding and its
distribution across the categories of activities, including
proposed elimination of some activities. Congress also is
considering certain FWS regulatory and policy issues as
part of appropriations deliberations.
Discretionary appropriations for FWS provide funding to
carry out most of the agency's essential functions. The
relationship between budget requests and enacted levels has
fluctuated in recent years (Figure 1).
Figure I. FWS Discretionary Funding, FY2004-FY2018
(nominal $ in billions)
$2,0
$1.4 :: : : : : : : : : : : : : :: :
1 \K R -t C
:Er~acted S Btjdget Request
Sources: Congressional Research Service (CR5), with data from
FWS Budget Justifications and House Reports.
Notes: *Fy2009 enacted amount included $280 million through an
emergency appropriation in P.L. Ill -5.
In its budget request for discretionary appropriations in
FY20 18, the Trump Administration requested $1.30 billion.
H.R. 3354 (Department of the Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018), as reported,
would appropriate $1.48 billion. The enacted FY2017
appropriation was $1.52 billion. The Resource Management
(RM) account encompasses most of the appropriated funds
(for FY2018, 88.37% of the budget request and 84.3 1%
under H.R. 3354), with the balance included in eight
accounts (Figure 2). The budget request would eliminate
eight activities funded in FY2017 to provide for additional
focus on existing responsibilities (Table 1). H.R. 3354
would provide funding for all accounts and all but one
activity funded in FY2017, although in some cases at lower
funding levels. No activities were proposed for elimination
by both the Administration's request and H.R. 3354.
Table I. Proposed Activity Eliminations in FY2018:
Budget Request and H.R. 3354
(nominal $ in millions)
FY2017
Activity (Account) Enacted
Cooperative Landscape Conservation (RM) $12.99
Science Support (RM) 16.99
Acquisitions (LA) 27.41
Highland Conservation Grants (LA) 10.00
Recreational Access (LA) 2.50
Land Acquisition (CESCF) 30.80
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (NWRF) 13.23
State Wildlife Grants (Competitive) (STWG) 6.36
Land Protection Planning (LA) 0.47
Source: H.Rept. 1 15-238, pp. 150-155.
Notes: Budget request in plain text; H.R. 3354 in bold. Account
initials are shown in parentheses after each activity (RM = Resource
Management; see Figure 2 for other accounts).
The RM account includes eight activities, including
Ecological Services (within the account, the budget
requested 19.6% of the RM total for this activity, whereas
H.R. 3354 requested 19.0%), Habitat Conservation (5.0%;
5.4%), National Wildlife Refuge System (40.8%; 38.8%),
Conservation and Enforcement (11.4%; 11.1%), Fish and
Aquatic Conservation (11.9%; 12.8%), Cooperative
Landscape Conservation (0%; 1.0%), Science Support (0%;
1.4%), and General Operations (11.3%; 10.5%).
The Ecological Services activity includes funding to carry
out activities authorized in the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. §1533). The report accompanying
H.R. 3354 emphasizes that FWS should work closely with
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