Budget Deal Averts Another Shutdown and Funds Remainder of Federal Agencies

Published: February 15, 2019

BudgetPolicy and LegislationPresident Trump

A Valentine’s Day gift for federal employees that is better than chocolate, the House and Senate passed a budget deal on February 14 that funds agencies for the remainder of FY 2019. President Trump has indicated that he plans to sign it on February 15, the day that the current continuing resolution expires and just in time to avert another shutdown.

Five of the 12 appropriations bills became law in September 2018. The signing of this new bill, H.J. Res 31, provides the final puzzle piece on FY 2019 appropriations.


Source: House and Senate Appropriations Committees

The bill summary provides highlights of funding, including:

  • $14.9B for Customers and Border Protection (including $1.375B for 55 miles of physical barrier and $564M for non-intrusive imaging equipment for border points of entry).
  • $7.6B to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (including $30.5M in Alternatives to Detention (ATD) family case management)
  • $4.9B for the Transportation Security Agency, including additional funding for computed tomography imaging systems and airport explosive detection systems
  • $111M for the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
  • $11.4B for Commerce, including a $1B increase above FY 2018 to support the 2020 Decennial Census effort
  • $30.9B for Justice, including $9.6B for the FBI.
  • $21.5B for NASA, with increases for Earth Science and Aeronautics research
  • $12.7B for Treasury, including $11.3B for the IRS ($17M above the president’s request)
  • $13B for Interior Department
  • $5.1B for the State Department

Once appropriations are finalized OMB will begin the apportionment process, which is the process of dividing appropriated funds by time period, function or program. It’s during this process, required by the Antideficiency Act, that agencies submit requests for funding and OMB calculates the amount to be provided, typically by quarter or project. Agencies can then decide sub-allocations across programs and activities. Given the typical impact of operating under a continuing resolution, magnified by a 35-day shutdown, agency heads are likely eager and ready to go with their apportionment requests so they can make the most of the rest of FY 2019.

For a more detailed look at total final FY 2019 appropriations, check out "Final FY 2019 Appropriations - GovWin FMA's First Take."