# Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

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URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/crs%3AR44500

## Record

- **Collection:** Congressional research report
- **Document type:** CRS Report
- **Published:** April 5, 2017
- **Citation:** R44500

## Text

Transportation, Housing and
Urban Development, and Related Agencies
(THUD): FY2017 Appropriations
(name redacted)
Specialist in Housing Policy
(name redacted)
Analyst in Transportation Policy
Updated April 5, 2017

Congressional Research Service
7-....
www.crs.gov
R44500

Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

Summary
The House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
(THUD) Appropriations Subcommittees are charged with providing annual appropriations for the
Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
and related agencies. THUD programs receive both discretionary and mandatory budget
authority; HUD’s budget generally accounts for the largest share of discretionary appropriations
in the THUD bill, but when mandatory funding is taken into account, DOT’s budget is larger than
HUD’s budget. Mandatory funding typically accounts for around half of the THUD
appropriation.
The Obama Administration requested net budget authority of $134.5 billion (after scorekeeping
adjustments) for FY2017, $20.6 billion (18%) over the FY2016 level. Most of this increase was
for highway, transit, and passenger rail programs.
On May 19, 2016, the Senate approved $114.2 billion in net budget authority ($121.2 billion in
new budget authority before scorekeeping adjustments), an increase of $244 million (less than
1%) over FY2016, for THUD for FY2017 as part of a substitute amendment to H.R. 2577 that
incorporated both the Senate-reported THUD bill (S. 2844) and the Senate-reported Military
Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill. On May 24, 2016, the House
Committee on Appropriations ordered to be reported H.R. 5394, an FY2017 THUD bill
recommending $115.9 billion in net budget authority ($120.8 billion in new budget authority
before scorekeeping adjustments). Congress passed two continuing appropriations resolutions to
fund THUD and other federal agencies in FY2017; the current funding bill runs through April 28,
2017. The House and Senate THUD bills expired with the end of the 114th Congress.
DOT: The Obama Administration requested a $96.9 billion budget for DOT for FY2017. That
was about $22 billion more than FY2016, with significant increases requested for highway,
transit, and rail programs. Both the Senate and House bills largely rejected the proposed increases
and recommended $76.9 billion in new budget authority for DOT, $1.8 billion more than the
comparable figure in FY2016. Both bills would increase funding for federal highway and transit
programs and would fund new grant programs for intercity passenger rail.
HUD: The Obama Administration requested $39.6 billion in net new budget authority for HUD
for FY2017, $1.3 billion more than FY2016. The Senate bill recommended $39.2 billion in net
new budget authority, representing $1.5 billion more than FY2016 and $600 million more in
savings from offsets. Most of the increase is to maintain current services in HUD’s primary rental
assistance programs, the project-based Section 8 rental assistance program and Housing Choice
Voucher program. The House committee bill also proposed increases relative to FY2016, but less
than proposed by the Senate.
Related Agencies: The Obama Administration requested $350 million for the agencies in Title III
(the Related Agencies). This was about $33 million less than the comparable figure for FY2016,
as the request included funding for an agency that was not in the Related Agencies title in
FY2016, the Surface Transportation Board. The major change in funding from FY2016 levels in
the request was a cut of $35 million (20%) for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
(NRC). The Senate bill recommended $339 million, cutting another $5 million from the NRC; the
House committee bill recommended $343 million, funding NRC at the requested level.
FY2017 funding is being provided through April 28, 2017, at roughly FY2016 levels through a
continuing resolution. According to press reports, the Trump Administration has recommended
cuts for FY2017 of $2.7 billion from FY2016 levels for THUD, including eliminating the

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Essential Air Services and TIGER grant programs and reducing funding for New Starts in DOT,
and reducing funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) in HUD.

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Contents
Introduction to Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations .................. 1
Budget Concepts Relevant to THUD Appropriations ............................................................... 1
THUD Funding Trends .................................................................................................................... 2
Status of the FY2017 THUD Appropriations Bill ........................................................................... 3
FY2017 THUD Discretionary Funding Allocation ................................................................... 3
FY2017 THUD Funding ........................................................................................................... 5
How Lower Budget Authority Becomes Greater Funding—The Impact of Offsets........... 6
Detailed Tables and Selected Key Issues......................................................................................... 7
Title I: Department of Transportation ....................................................................................... 7
DOT in Brief ........................................................................................................................... 10
Trump Administration Budget .......................................................................................... 10
Senate Action .................................................................................................................... 10
House Action..................................................................................................................... 10
Obama Administration Budget ......................................................................................... 10
Title II: Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) .................................................11
HUD in Brief ........................................................................................................................... 13
Trump Administration Budget .......................................................................................... 13
House Action..................................................................................................................... 13
Senate Action .................................................................................................................... 13
Obama Administration’s Budget....................................................................................... 14
Title III: Related Agencies ...................................................................................................... 14
Related Agencies, In Brief ...................................................................................................... 15

Tables
Table 1. Funding Trends for Department of Transportation and Department of Housing
and Urban Development, FY2010-FY2016 ................................................................................. 2
Table 2. Status of FY2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies Appropriations .............................................................................................................. 3
Table 3. THUD FY2016 Discretionary Funding Appropriation,
FY2017 302(b) Allocations, and FY2017 Discretionary Appropriation ...................................... 4
Table 4. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations, FY2016-FY2017 ................................................................... 5
Table 5. Budget Adjustments in FY2016 and FY2017 THUD Appropriations Act ........................ 7
Table 6. Department of Transportation FY2016-FY2017 Selected Budget Details ........................ 8
Table 7. HUD FY2016-FY2017 Detailed Appropriations ..............................................................11
Table 8. Appropriations for Related Agencies, FY2016-FY2017 ................................................. 15

Contacts
Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 16

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Introduction to Transportation, HUD, and
Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD)
Appropriations Subcommittees are charged with drafting bills to provide annual appropriations
for the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), and six small related agencies.
Title I of the annual THUD appropriations bill funds DOT. The department is primarily a grantmaking and regulatory organization. Its programs are organized roughly by mode of
transportation, providing grants to state and local government agencies to support the
construction of highways, transit, and intercity passenger rail infrastructure, while overseeing
safety in the rail, public transportation, commercial trucking and intercity bus, and maritime
industries. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is exceptional among DOT’s large subagencies in that the largest portion of its budget is not for grants but for operating the U.S. air
traffic control system. In support of that task, it employs over 80% of DOT’s total workforce,
roughly 46,000 of DOT’s approximately 56,000 employees.
Title II of the annual THUD appropriations bill funds HUD. The department’s programs are
primarily designed to address housing problems faced by households with very low incomes or
other special housing needs. These include several programs of rental assistance for persons who
are poor, elderly, and/or have disabilities. Three rental assistance programs—Public Housing,
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, and Section 8 project-based rental assistance—account for
the majority of the department’s funding. Two flexible block grant programs—the HOME
Investment Partnership Program and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)—help
communities finance a variety of housing and community development activities designed to
serve low-income families. Other, more specialized grant programs help communities meet the
needs of homeless persons, including those with AIDS. HUD’s Federal Housing Administration
(FHA) insures mortgages made by lenders to home buyers with low down payments and to
developers of multifamily rental buildings containing relatively affordable units.
Title III of the THUD appropriations bill funds a collection of agencies involved in transportation
or housing and community development. They include the Access Board, the Federal Maritime
Commission, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General
(IG), the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (often referred to as NeighborWorks), the U.S.
Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the costs associated with the government
conservatorship and regulation of the housing-related government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac. The Surface Transportation Board, formerly an agency of DOT, was made
independent of DOT in 2015 legislation, and now appears in Title III of the THUD bill.

Budget Concepts Relevant to THUD Appropriations
Most of the programs and activities in the THUD bill are funded through regular annual
appropriations, also referred to as discretionary appropriations.1 This is the amount of new
funding allocated each year by the appropriations committees. Appropriations are drawn from the
1 According to Congressional Quarterly’s American Congressional Dictionary, discretionary appropriations are

appropriations not mandated by existing law and therefore made available annually in appropriations bills in such
amounts as Congress chooses. The Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 defines discretionary appropriations as budget
authority provided in annual appropriations acts and the outlays derived from that authority, but it excludes
appropriations for entitlements.

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general fund of the Treasury. For some accounts, the appropriations committees provide advance
appropriations, or regular appropriations that are not available until the next fiscal year.
In some years, Congress will also provide emergency appropriations, usually in response to
disasters. These funds are sometimes provided outside of the regular appropriations acts—often
in emergency supplemental spending bills. Although emergency appropriations typically come
from the general fund, they may not be included in the discretionary appropriation total reported
for an agency.
Most of DOT’s budget is in the form of contract authority. Contract authority is a form of
mandatory budget authority based on federal trust fund resources, in contrast to discretionary
budget authority, which is based on resources in the general fund. Contract authority controls
spending from the Highway Trust Fund and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Total annual
discretionary budget authority for THUD is typically around half of the total funding provided in
the bill, with the remainder made up of DOT’s mandatory contract authority.
Congressional appropriators are generally subject to limits on the amount of new nonemergency
discretionary funding they can provide in a year. One way to stay within these limits is to
appropriate no more than the allocated amount of discretionary funding in the regular annual
appropriations act. Another way is to find ways to offset a higher level of discretionary funding. A
portion of the cost of regular annual appropriations for the THUD bill is generally offset in two
ways. The first is through rescissions, or cancellations of unobligated or recaptured balances from
previous years’ funding. The second is through offsetting receipts and collections, generally
derived from fees collected by federal agencies.

THUD Funding Trends
Table 1 shows funding trends for DOT and HUD over the period FY2010-FY2016, omitting
emergency funding and other supplemental funding. The purpose of Table 1 is to indicate trends
in the funding for these agencies; thus emergency supplemental appropriations are not included in
the figures.
Table 1. Funding Trends for Department of Transportation and
Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2010-FY2016
(in billions of current dollars)
Department

FY2010

FY2011

FY2012

FY2013a

FY2014

FY2015

FY2016

DOT

$75.7

$68.7

$71.6

$70.7

$71.2

$71.3

$75.0

HUD

$46.9

$41.1

$37.4

$33.5

$32.8

$36.9

$38.3

Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Comparative Statement of Budget
Authority tables from FY2010 through FY2017. Unless otherwise noted, amounts are reduced to reflect acrossthe-board rescissions.
a. FY2013 figures do not reflect $29 billion in emergency funding for recovery from Hurricane Sandy (P.L.
113-2) or reductions due to sequestration.

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Status of the FY2017 THUD Appropriations Bill
Table 2 provides a timeline of legislative action on the FY2017 THUD appropriations bill.
Table 2. Status of FY2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations
Subcommittee
Markup
Bill

House

S. 2844/
H.R. 2577
(114th)

H.R. 5394
(114th)

Senate

House
Report

4/19/2016
(voice
vote)

5/18/2016
(voice
vote)

House
Passage

Senate
Report

Senate
Passage

4/21/2016
S.Rept.
114-243

5/19/2016
(89-8)

Conf.
Report

Conference
Approval
House

Public
Law

Senate

5/24/2016
H.Rept.
114-606

Source: CRS Appropriations Status Table.
Note: By custom, appropriations bills originate in the House of Representatives. Since the House had not acted
on FY2017 THUD appropriations as of May 12, the Senate added the text of Senate-reported S. 2844 to H.R.
2577 (which was originally the FY2016 THUD bill) as a substitute amendment. The new H.R. 2577 also contains
the text of the Senate-reported FY2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill.

FY2017 THUD Discretionary Funding Allocation
The annual budget resolution provides a budgetary framework within which Congress considers
legislation affecting spending and revenue. It sets forth spending and revenue levels, including
spending allocations to House and Senate committees. These levels are enforceable by a point of
order. After the House and the Senate Appropriations Committees receive their discretionary
spending allocations from the budget resolution (referred to as 302(a) allocations), they divide
their allocations among their 12 subcommittees (referred to as the 302(b) allocations). Each
subcommittee is responsible for one of the 12 regular appropriations bills. While a budget
resolution and subcommittee allocations alone cannot be used to determine how much funding
any individual account or program will receive, they do set the parameters within which decisions
about funding for individual accounts and programs can be made.
The House and the Senate have not yet adopted a budget resolution for FY2017.2 In its absence,
the Senate Budget Committee chair filed budgetary levels in the Congressional Record that are
enforceable in the Senate as if they had been included in a budget resolution for FY2017.3 Based
2 For a discussion of budget enforcement mechanisms that may be adopted in the absence of a budget resolution, see

CRS Report R44296, Deeming Resolutions: Budget Enforcement in the Absence of a Budget Resolution, by (name red
acted) ; and CRS Report R43535, Provisions in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 as an Alternative to a Traditional
Budget Resolution, by (name redacted) .
3 The authority for these actions is provided by Section 102 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74). The
levels were filed by the Senate Budget Committee chair on April 18, 2016 ("Allocation of Spending Authority to
Senate Committee on Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2017,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 162, no. 59
(April 18, 2016), p. S2121). No comparable authority for the House Budget Committee chair was provided by the

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on these levels, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported their initial 302(b) suballocations
on April 18, 2016. They included $56.474 billion for the THUD subcommittee, which is
approximately $1 billion less than the comparable FY2016 level ($57.301 billion). In the absence
of a budget resolution in the House, the House Appropriations Committee adopted “interim
302(b) suballocations” for the appropriations bills as they were marked up in full committee.4
These interim suballocations are not procedurally enforceable. A suballocation for the THUD
subcommittee of $58.190 billion was included in H.Rept. 114-606.
Table 3 shows the discretionary funding provided for THUD in FY2016, the Obama
Administration request for FY2017, and the amount allocated by the House and Senate
Appropriations Committees to the THUD subcommittees. Table 4 lists the total funding provided
for each of the titles in the bill for FY2016 and the amount requested for that title for FY2017.
As discussed earlier, much of the funding for this bill is in the form of contract authority, a type of
mandatory budget authority. Thus the discretionary funding provided in the bill is only about half
of the total funding provided in this bill.
Table 3. THUD FY2016 Discretionary Funding Appropriation,
FY2017 302(b) Allocations, and FY2017 Discretionary Appropriation
(in billions of dollars)
FY2017
FY2016
Enacted

Budget Request

House 302(b)

Senate 302(b)

$57.601

$52.0

$58.190

$56.474

Enacted

Source: Figures are taken from the budget table in H.Rept. 114-129; House 302(b) from H.Rept. 114-118;
Senate 302(b) from S.Rept. 114-55; and the budget table in S.Rept. 114-243.
Note: FY2016 enacted and FY2017 request and enacted are net of advance appropriations, rescissions,
offsetting collections, and other adjustments. The FY2017 budget request proposed shifting several billion dollars
from discretionary to mandatory funding, which had the effect of reducing the amount of discretionary funding
requested.

Bipartisan Budget Act.
4 These interim suballocations are available on the House Appropriations Committee website, at
http://appropriations.house.gov/files/?CatagoryID=34785.

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FY2017 THUD Funding
Continuing Resolution
None of the FY2017 regular appropriations bills were enacted before the end of FY2016. Instead, Congress has
approved two continuing resolutions to provide temporary funding. The first CR provided funding for most
federal agencies through December 9, 2016 (P.L. 114-223); it also contained the Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for all of FY2017. The second CR, which was enacted before expiration of the
first, provides funding through April 28, 2017 (P.L. 114-254).
Under the terms of the CRs, funding for most programs, projects, and activities—including those administered by
HUD—is continued at FY2016 levels, less an across-the-board reduction of 0.496% in the first CR and 0.1901% in
the second CR. Additionally, the two CRs also provided appropriations for disaster relief grants through HUD’s
Community Development Block Grant program: P.L. 114-223 appropriated $500 million for grants for areas that
experienced presidentially declared disasters that occurred prior to the law's enactment (including flooding in
Louisiana); P.L. 114-254 appropriated $1.8 billion for areas that experienced presidentially declared disasters that
occurred prior to the law's enactment (including flooding in South Carolina).
According to press reports,5 the Trump Administration has recommended cuts for FY2017 of $2.7 billion from
FY2016 levels for THUD, including eliminating the Essential Air Services and TIGER grant programs and reducing
funding for New Starts in DOT, and reducing funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) in
HUD.
For more information about the two CRs, see CRS Report R44653, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for
FY2017 (H.R. 5325), coordinated by (name redacted) ; and CRS Report R44723, Overview of Further Continuing
Appropriations for FY2017 (H.R. 2028), coordinated by (name redacted) .

As shown in Table 4, the Obama Administration’s FY2017 budget requested $134.5 billion for
the programs in the THUD bill, $20.5 billion more than the $114.0 provided in FY2016. Most of
the requested increase was for additional highway, transit, and rail funding; the request for DOT
was $22 billion over FY2016. The request for HUD was $1.3 billion more than provided in
FY2016. According to press reports, the Trump Administration has requested a reduction of $2.7
billion from FY2016 funding levels, zeroing out the Essential Air Services program and the
TIGER (National Infrastructure Improvements) grant program and cutting funding for the New
Starts program in DOT, and reducing funding for the Community Development Block Grants
program in HUD.
Table 4. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations, FY2016-FY2017
(in millions of dollars)

5 Paul M. Krawzak and Kellie Mejdrich, “Details on Trump’s Fiscal 2017 Budget Cuts,” CQ News, March 27, 2017,

http://www.cq.com/doc/news-5071248?8.

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Title

FY2016
Enacted

FY2017
Request

FY2017
House
Committee

FY2017
Senate

FY2017
Enacted

Title I: Transportation
Title I Discretionary

18,648

11,995a

19,162

16,933

Title 1 Mandatory

56,355

82,510

57,725

57,725

Title I Total

75,003

94,505

76,882

74,659

Title II: Housing and
Urban Development

38,311

39,647

38,695

39,201

Title III: Related Agencies

342

350

343

339

Title IV: General
Provisions

300

—

-4

—

$113,956

$134,502

$115,915

$114,197

Net Total Discretionary

$57,601

$51,992

$58,190

$56,474

Total Mandatory

$56,355

$82,510

$57,725

$57,725

Total

Sources: Table prepared by CRS based on information in S.Rept. 114-243 and H.Rept. 114-606.
Note: Figures are net after rescissions, offsets, and other adjustments. Figures include advance appropriations
provided in the bill, rather than advance appropriations that will become available in the fiscal year. The former
are the amounts generally shown in committee press releases; the latter are the amounts against which the
committee is generally “scored” for purposes of budget enforcement. Totals may not add up due to rounding
and scorekeeping adjustments.
a. In FY2016 the Surface Transportation Board was funded under DOT in Title I at $31 million; starting in
FY2017, the board is an independent agency funded under Title III.

The Senate-reported S. 2844 recommended $114.2 billion for THUD; after accounting for the
differences in rescissions and offsetting receipts in FY2016, this represents an increase of less
than 1% over FY2016 funding. This situation is explored further in the next section of this report
and in Table 5. Currently, FY2017 funding is being provided through April 28, 2017, through a
Continuing Appropriations Resolution (P.L. 114-254) at roughly the same level as in FY2016.

How Lower Budget Authority Becomes Greater Funding—
The Impact of Offsets
In the case of the THUD bill, net discretionary budget authority (which is the level of funding
measured against the 302(b) allocation) is not the same as the amount of new discretionary
budget authority made available to THUD agencies, due to budgetary savings available from
rescissions and offsets. Each dollar available to the subcommittees in rescissions and offsets
enables the subcommittee to provide funding that does not count against the 302(b) level. As
shown in Table 5, in FY2016, due to rescissions and offsets, the THUD subcommittees were able
to provide $8.7 billion in discretionary appropriations to THUD agencies above the net
discretionary budget authority level.

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Table 5. Budget Adjustments in FY2016 and FY2017 THUD Appropriations Act
(in millions of dollars)

Components of THUD Budget Authority

FY2016
Enacted

FY2017
Senate

FY2017
House
Comm.

New discretionary budget authority
New discretionary appropriations

$61,916

$63,519

$63,061

4,400

4,400

4,400

66,316

67,919

67,461

-61

-2,211

-36

-8,655

-9,234

-9,235

-8,716

-11,445

-9,736

$57,601

$56,474

$57,725

Advance Appropriation
Gross new discretionary budget authority
Minus Savings
Rescissions of prior-year funding and contract authority
Offsetting collections and receipts
Total Savings (subtracted from new budget authority)
Net Total Discretionary Budget Authority

Source: Table prepared by CRS based on Comparative Statement of New Budget (Obligational) Authority for
Fiscal Year 2017, S.Rept. 114-243, and H.Rept. 114-606.
Note: The FY2016 act included $300 million in emergency funding, which is counted as discretionary funding.

The amount of these “budget savings” can vary from year to year, meaning that the “cost” in
terms of 302(b) allocation of providing the appropriation may vary as well. With $2.15 billion
more in rescissions and $579 million more in offsetting receipts and collections in FY2017
compared to FY2016, the Senate Committee on Appropriations was able to recommend $1.9
billion more discretionary funding for THUD for FY2017, even though the committee had given
THUD a discretionary allocation that was $1.1 billion less than in FY2016.

Detailed Tables and Selected Key Issues
Title I: Department of Transportation
Table 6 presents FY2017 appropriations totals and selected accounts for DOT, compared to
FY2016 enacted levels. A brief summary of key highlights follows the table. For an expanded
discussion, see CRS Report R44499, Department of Transportation (DOT): FY2017
Appropriations, by (name redacted)
.

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Table 6. Department of Transportation FY2016-FY2017 Selected Budget Details
(in millions of current dollars)
FY2016
Enacted

FY2017
Request

FY2017
House
Comm.

FY2017
Senate

Payments to air carriers (Essential Air Service)a

$175

$150

$150

$150

National infrastructure investments (TIGER)

500

1,250

450

525

Total, OST

832

1,604

774

854

Operations

9,910

9,994

9,994

10,048

Facilities & equipment

2,855

2,838

2,838

2,838

166

168

168

176

Grants-in-aid for airports (Airport Improvement Program) (limitation on
obligations)

3,350

2,900

3,350

3,350

Total, FAA

16,281

15,900

16,350

16,412

43,100

51,505

44,005

44,005

Motor carrier safety operations and programs

267

277

277

277

Motor carrier safety grants to states

313

367

367

367

Total, FMCSA

580

794

644

644

Operations and research

296

396

333

306

Highway traffic safety grants to states (limitation on obligations)

573

585

585

585

Total, NHTSA

869

1,181

918

891

Safety and operations

199

213

207

209

Research and development

39

53

43

40

Railroad safety grants

50

—

—

—

250

—

—

—

1,140

—

—

—

Current passenger rail service

—

2,300

—

—

Northeast Corridor Grants

—

—

420

345

National Network

—

—

1,000

1,075

Total Amtrak grants

1,390

2,300

1,420

1,420

—

3,700

—

—

Department of Transportation Selected Account

FY2017
Enacted

Office of the Secretary (OST)

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Research, engineering, & development

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Total, FHWA (Federal-aid highways: limitation on obligations + exempt
contract authority)
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

Amtrak
Amtrak operating grants
Amtrak capital and debt service grants

Intercity Passenger Rail
Rail Service Improvement Program

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FY2016
Enacted

FY2017
Request

FY2017
House
Comm.

FY2017
Senate

Consolidated Rail infrastructure and safety improvements

—

—

25

50

Federal-state partnership for State of Good Repair

—

—

25

20

Restoration and enhancement grants

—

—

—

15

1,678

6,267

1,720

1,754

Formula grants (M)

9,348

9,734

9,734

9,734

Capital investment grants (New Starts)

2,177

3,500

2,500

2,338

150

150

150

150

11,783

19,769

12,500

12,332

5

—

—

10

399

428

483

485

Subtotal

223

267

228

231

Offsetting user fees

-125

-155

-128

-130

Emergency preparedness grants (M)

29

28

28

28

Total, PHMSA

99

111

100

101

Office of Inspector General

87

90

90

94

Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

28

36

36

36

Appropriation (discretionary funding)

18,696

14,436

19,162

19,144

Limitations on obligations (M)

56,355

82,510

57,725

57,725

New funding before adjustments

75,051

96,946

76,887

76,869

Rescissions of discretionary funding

-47

-5

-5

—

Rescissions of contract authority

—

-2,436

—

-2,211

Net new discretionary funding

$18,648

$24,008

$19,157

$16,933

Net new budget authority

$75,003

$94,505

$76,882

$74,659

Department of Transportation Selected Account

Total, FRA

FY2017
Enacted

Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Total, FTA
Maritime Administration (MARAD)
Assistance to small shipyards
Total, MARAD
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA)

DOT Totalsb

Sources: Table prepared by CRS based on information in S.Rept. 114-243 and H.Rept. 114-606.
Notes: “M” stands for mandatory budget authority. Line items may not add up to the subtotals due to omission
of some accounts. Subtotals and totals may differ from those in the source documents due to treatment of
rescissions, offsetting collections, and other adjustments. The figures in this table reflect new budget authority
made available for the fiscal year. For budgetary calculation purposes, the source documents may subtract
rescissions of prior-year funding or contract authority, or offsetting collections, in calculating subtotals and totals.
a. The Essential Air Service (EAS) program receives an additional amount of mandatory budget authority; for
FY2017 that additional amount is $104 million, for a total of $254 million.
b. The FY2016 totals include $31 million for the Surface Transportation Board, which was made an
independent agency beginning in FY2017; its funding will henceforth be provided in Title III, Related
Agencies.

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DOT in Brief
Trump Administration Budget
According to press reports, the Trump Administration has requested a $1 billion reduction in
DOT from FY2016 levels: zeroing out the Essential Air Services program (-$150 million) and the
TIGER (National Infrastructure Investments) grant program (-$500 million), and reducing
funding for the transit New Starts program by $400 million.

Senate Action
For DOT, the Senate bill included the following:





$76.9 billion in new budgetary resources, $1.8 billion (2%) above the comparable
FY2016 figure and $20 billion below the Administration request (for budget
scoring purposes, a rescission of $2.2 billion reduces the net total to $74.7
billion). On an inflation-adjusted basis, this would be the largest DOT
appropriation since FY2011.
Increases in funding for the federal-aid highway program ($905 million) and the
federal public transportation program ($575 million).
$85 million for new intercity rail grant programs, in addition to $1.42 billion for
Amtrak, $30 million (2%) more than Amtrak received in FY2016.

House Action
The House Committee on Appropriations recommended the following:





The same amount of new budgetary resources as the Senate bill (unlike the
Senate bill, there is no rescission of contract authority in the Houserecommended bill, so the net total is larger than in the Senate bill).
Increases in funding for the federal-aid highway program ($905 million) and the
federal public transportation program ($743 million).
$50 million for new intercity rail grant programs, in addition to $1.42 billion for
Amtrak, $30 million (2%) more than Amtrak received in FY2016.

Obama Administration Budget
The Obama Administration’s budget proposal for DOT included the following:







A request for $96.9 billion in budgetary resources, an increase of 29% over the
amount provided for FY2016 (for budget scoring purposes, a rescission of $2.4
billion reduces the net total requested to $94.5 billion).
$1.25 billion for National Infrastructure Investment (TIGER grants), a 150%
increase in funding over FY2016.
$51.5 billion for federal-aid highways, a 20% increase in funding over FY2016.
$19.8 billion for public transportation, a 68% increase in funding over FY2016.
$1.9 billion for Amtrak, a 37% increase in funding over FY2016, plus $4.1
billion for other programs to develop intercity passenger rail service.

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Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

Title II: Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD)
Table 7 presents account-level funding information for HUD, comparing FY2016 with the
FY2017 Obama Administration budget request and congressional action. It is followed by a brief
summary of key highlights. For an expanded discussion, see CRS Report R44495, Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD): FY2017 Appropriations, coordinated by (name r
edacted) .
Table 7. HUD FY2016-FY2017 Detailed Appropriations
(in billions of dollars)
FY2016
Enacted

Accounts

FY2017
Request

FY2017
House
Comm.

FY2017
Senate

FY2017
Enacted

Appropriations
Salaries and Expenses (Mgmt. & Adm.)

1.360

1.365

1.345

1.365

Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Sec. 8 vouchers)a

19.629

20.854

20.189

20.432

Rental Assistance Demonstration

0.000

0.050

0.000

0.004

Public housing capital fund

1.900

1.865

1.900

1.925

Public housing operating fund

4.500

4.569

4.500

4.675

Choice Neighborhoods

0.125

0.200

0.100

0.080

Family Self Sufficiency

0.075

0.075

0.075

0.075

Native American housing block grants

0.650

0.700

0.655

0.714b

Indian housing loan guarantee

0.008

0.006

0.006

0.007

Native Hawaiian block grant

0.000

0.001

0.000

0.005

Native Hawaiian loan guarantee

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

Housing, persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

0.335

0.335

0.335

0.335

Community Development Fund (Including CDBG)

3.060

2.880

3.060

3.000c

HOME Investment Partnerships

0.950

0.950

0.950

0.950

Self-Help Homeownershipd

0.056

0.000

0.050

0.054

Homeless Assistance Grants

2.250

2.664

2.487

2.330

Project-Based Rental Assistance (Sec. 8)e

10.620

10.816

10.901

10.901

Housing for the Elderly

0.433

0.505

0.505

0.505

Housing for Persons with Disabilities

0.151

0.154

0.154

0.154

Housing Counseling Assistancef

0.047

0.047

0.055

0.047

Manufactured Housing Fees Trust Fundg

0.011

0.012

0.012

0.011

Rental Housing Assistanceh

0.030

0.020

0.020

0.020

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Expensesg

0.130

0.160

0.130

0.130

Government National Mortgage Assn. (GNMA) Expensesg

0.024

0.024

0.024

0.024

Research and technology

0.085

0.065

0.080

0.090

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Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

Accounts

FY2016
Enacted

FY2017
Request

FY2017
House
Comm.

FY2017
Senate

FY2017
Enacted

Fair housing activities

0.065

0.070

0.065

0.065

Office, lead hazard control

0.110

0.110

0.130

0.135

Information Technology Fund

0.250

0.286

0.100i

0.273

Inspector General

0.126

0.129

0.128

0.129

Gross Appropriations Subtotal

46.978

48.911

47.955

48.434

Administrative Provisions

-0.014j

0.000

-0.027k

0.000

Rescissions Subtotal

-0.014

0.000

-0.027

0.000

Manufactured Housing Fees Trust Fund

-0.011

-0.012

-0.012

-0.011

FHA

-7.757

-8.028

-7.998

-7.998

GNMA

-0.886

-1.224

-1.224

-1.224

Offsets Subtotal

-8.654

-9.264

-9.234

-9.233

Total Budget Authority

38.311

39.647

38.695

39.201

Disaster Relief Funding

0.300l

0.000

0.000

0.000

Total w/ Disaster Funding

38.611

39.647

38.695

39.201

Rescissions

Offsetting Collections and Receipts

Source: Table prepared by CRS based on the Comparative Statement of New Budget (Obligational) Authority
as published in S.Rept. 114-243, beginning on p. 167; and H.Rept. 114-606, beginning on p. 153.
a. The Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance account includes both current-year and advance
appropriations. Typically, Congress appropriates about $4 billion for tenant-based rental assistance for the
subsequent fiscal year in addition to funds for the current year.
b. The Senate-passed bill would create a new Indian Block Grants account that would include (1) the programs
currently funded in the Native American Housing Block Grant account and (2) the Indian Community
Development Block Grant, which is currently funded in the Community Development Fund account. The
amount in the table reflects the total amount that would be provided for this new account.
c. Funding for the Indian Community Development Block Grant, which is usually provided in the Community
Development Fund account, is included in a new Indian Block Grants account in the Senate-passed bill.
d. The Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program account provides funds for both the SelfHelp Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) and certain capacity building activities. The President’s
budget proposed funding SHOP as a set-aside within the HOME account and capacity building activities
within the Research and Technology account, rather than within their own account.
e. The Section 8 project-based rental assistance account includes both current-year and advance
appropriations. Typically, Congress appropriates about $400 million for project-based rental assistance for
the subsequent fiscal year in addition to funds for the current year.
f.
In addition to HUD’s housing counseling assistance program, in recent years Congress has provided funding
specifically for foreclosure mitigation counseling known as the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling
Program (NFMCP), administered by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (also known as
NeighborWorks America). NeighborWorks is not part of HUD, but is usually funded as a related agency in
the annual HUD appropriations laws. The President’s budget did not request funding for the NFMCP in
FY2017, and neither the House committee-passed bill nor the Senate-passed bill would provide funding for
the NFMCP.
g. Some or all of the cost of funding these accounts is offset by the collection of fees or other receipts, shown
later in this table.

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h.

i.

j.

k.

l.

The Rental Housing Assistance account is used to provide supplemental funding to some older HUD rentassisted properties and, when funding is provided, it is typically offset by recaptures. Funding is not
requested in this account every year.
H.Rept. 114-606, on p. 95, notes that maintenance of basic IT-related systems and activities at HUD
requires at least $250 million and states that “prior to enactment, the Committee will work to identify
sources of funds to maintain and upgrade the Department’s systems.”
Section 233 of the General Provisions included a rescission of $7 million in unobligated balances from the
Neighborhood Stabilization Program and a rescission from FHA’s General and Special Risk Program
account.
Section 237 of the General Provisions includes rescissions of unobligated balances from HUD’s Management
and Administration and Salaries and Expenses accounts, as well as unobligated balanced available from
certain HUD recaptures.
Section 420 of the General Provisions included $300 million in disaster recovery assistance for states and
communities impacted by Hurricane Joaquin and Hurricane Patricia and other storms and flooding events
occurring in 2015. This amount was provided as “disaster relief” funding, and is thus effectively exempt from
the statutory limits on discretionary spending that apply to the remainder of HUD funding in the bill.

HUD in Brief
Trump Administration Budget
According to press reports, the Trump Administration has recommended a $1.5 billion reduction
in funding from the FY2016 level for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
program.

House Action
H.R. 5394, as reported by the House Appropriations Committee, would provide the following for
HUD:







$47.95 billion in gross appropriations, which is approximately $1 billion more in
appropriations than was provided in FY2016 but about $1 billion less than was
requested by the Obama Administration.
$38.7 billion in net budget authority, reflecting savings from offsets and other
sources, which is about $84 million more than FY2016.
Level funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) relative to
FY2016, which is a $200 million increase over the Obama Administration’s
requested funding level.
Funding increases, to cover the cost of renewing subsidies in the Section 8
tenant-based (Housing Choice Voucher) and project-based rental assistance
accounts (+$560 million and +$281 million relative to FY2016). No funding for
new incremental vouchers.

Senate Action
For HUD the Senate bill (the substitute amendment to H.R. 2577, as passed by the Senate) would
provide the following:


$48.4 billion in gross appropriations, which is approximately $1.5 billion more in
appropriations than was provided in FY2016 but about $500 million less than
was requested by the Obama Administration.

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Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations







$39.2 billion in net budget authority, reflecting savings from offsets and other
sources, which is $890 million more than FY2016 ($1.5 billion more in
appropriations and $610 million more in savings from offsets, excluding disaster
funding).
Level funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) relative to
FY2016, which is a $200 million increase over the Obama Administration’s
requested funding level.
Funding increases, largely to cover the cost of renewing subsidies in the Section
8 tenant-based (Housing Choice Voucher) and project-based rental assistance
accounts (+$800 million and +$281 million relative to FY2016). Proposes
funding for new incremental vouchers for youth aging out of foster care and
homeless veterans.

Obama Administration’s Budget
The Obama Administration’s FY2017 budget request for HUD included the following:






$48.9 billion in gross appropriations, which is $1.9 billion more in gross
appropriations than was provided in FY2016, excluding disaster funding.
$39.7 billion in net budget authority, reflecting savings from offsets and other
sources, which is $1.3 billion more than FY2016 ($1.9 billion more in
appropriations and $600 million more in savings available from offsets).
Increases in funding for most HUD programs, including funding for new
incremental Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers.
A 7% funding cut for CDBG, with a proposal to revisit the way funding is
distributed to communities.

Title III: Related Agencies
Table 8 shows appropriations levels for the various related agencies funded within the
Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The Surface Transportation
Board was transferred from the DOT title to the Related Agencies title starting with FY2017.

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Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

Table 8. Appropriations for Related Agencies, FY2016-FY2017
(in millions of dollars)
FY2016
Enacted

Related Agencies

FY2017
Request

FY2017
House

FY2017
Senate

Access Board

$8

$8

$8

$8

Federal Maritime Commission

26

27

27

27

National Railroad Passenger Corporation
(Amtrak) Office of Inspector General

24

23

23

23

National Transportation Safety Board

105

106

106

106

Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
(NeighborWorks)

175

140

140

135

Surface Transportation Board

—a

42

36

37

Offsetting Collections

-1

-1

-1

-1

U.S. Interagency Council on
Homelessness

4

4

2

4

$342

$350

$343

$339

Total

FY2017
Enacted

Source: Table prepared by CRS based on the Comparative Statement of New Budget (Obligational) Authority
as published in S.Rept. 114-243, beginning on p. 167; and H.Rept. 114-606, beginning on p. 153.
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.
a. The Surface Transportation Board was funded at $32 million in FY2016 (less $1 million in offsetting
receipts) in the DOT title of the THUD appropriations act.

Related Agencies, In Brief




U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The House
Appropriations Committee-passed bill would reduce funding for the USICH by
$1.5 million, from $3.5 million in FY2016 to $2 million in FY2017. The law
establishing the USICH provides that it will sunset on October 1, 2017. The
committee report (H.Rept. 114-606) notes that funding is reduced in anticipation
of the sunset date, states that funding could be better used to serve individuals
experiencing homelessness directly, and encourages member agencies to
establish working relationships that will extend beyond the USICH’s sunset. The
Obama Administration’s budget requested that the sunset date be extended until
October 1, 2020. The Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bill would extend
the sunset date to October 1, 2018.
NeighborWorks America. Neither the House Committee-passed bill nor the
Senate-passed bill would provide funding for foreclosure mitigation counseling
administered by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, commonly known
as NeighborWorks America. Funding for foreclosure mitigation counseling has
been provided to NeighborWorks America in each year since FY2008; this
funding was intended to be temporary, and both the House and Senate committee
reports note that home foreclosure rates have been declining in recent years. The
Obama Administration’s budget also did not request funding for foreclosure
mitigation counseling for NeighborWorks America for FY2017. Both the House
Committee-passed bill and the Senate-passed bill (and the Obama
Administration’s budget request) would continue to provide funding to
NeighborWorks America for broader community reinvestment activities, and

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Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

would continue to provide other funding for housing counseling activities to
HUD.

Author Contact Information
(name redacted)
Specialist in Housing Policy
/redacted/@crs.loc.gov, 7-....

Congressional Research Service

(name redacted)
Analyst in Transportation Policy
/redacted/@crs.loc.gov , 7-....

R44500 · VERSION 9 · UPDATED

16

Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2017 Appropriations

Key Policy Staff
Area of Expertise

Name

Transportation
General DOT funding, passenger rail,
NHTSA, FMCSA, surface transportation
safety and security

D. Randall Peterman

Aviation safety, aviation security, Federal
Aviation Administration, National
Transportation Safety Board

(name redacted)

Federal Highway Administration, Highway
and Airport and Airway Trust Funds,
tolling

(name redacted)

Federal Railroad Administration, freight
transportation, Maritime Administration,
Surface Transportation Board

(name redacted)

Federal Transit Administration, surface
transportation policy, private investment
in infrastructure

(name redacted)

Airport Improvement Program, Essential
Air Service, airport and airline issues

Rachel Tang

Motor vehicle safety, electric and
alternative-fuel vehicles and infrastructure

(name redacted)

Housing and Urban Development
Public Housing, Section 8 rent assistance,
(project-based and vouchers), general
HUD funding

(name redacted)

Community Development, including
CDBG

(name redacted)

FHA, HOME, Housing Counseling,
NAHASDA

(name redacted)

Section 202 and Section 811,
homelessness assistance, including
HOPWA

(name redacted)

Related Agencies
Neighborhood Reinvestment
Corporation/NeighborWorks, FHFA

(name redacted)

Interagency Council on Homelessness

(name redacted)

U.S. Access Board

(name redacted)

Amtrak IG

D. Randall Peterman

Federal Maritime Commission

(name redacted)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/crs%3AR44500. Public record. Not legal advice.