A $1.07 trillion FY17 budget resolution approved by the House Budget Committee last week would increase available budget authority for federal natural resources programs by more than $2 billion next year – funding that could be made available to increase water infrastructure investments at EPA.
The annual budget resolution does not appropriate funds for specific agencies but sets topline budget levels for various categories of federal discretionary and mandatory spending. As approved last week by the Budget Committee, the FY17 resolution reaffirms the $1.07 trillion discretionary spending total for the next fiscal year, matching the topline level established in last year’s budget deal.
The resolution also suggests that congressional appropriators may have more funding to work with if they seek to increase water infrastructure spending next year. The budget’s “Function 300” account provides budget authority for various environmental and natural resource programs including EPA, the Bureau of Reclamation, USDA, NOAA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and several other Interior Department activities. The FY17 resolution would increase Function 300 budget authority to $38.641 billion next year, up from its current $36.374 billion level. While congressional appropriators will decide how to spread this additional $2.267 billion among the various programs that fall under Function 300, the increased national attention on water infrastructure issues in the aftermath of the Flint water crisis could direct some additional funding to EPA’s State Revolving Fund or WIFIA programs.
But the higher budget authority figure is not guaranteed to translate to higher water infrastructure spending. For example, Budget Committee members rejected along party lines a Democratic-backed amendment that would have set aside nearly $500 million in the budget specifically to help Flint and other communities address lead-tainted drinking water. Committee Republicans indicated a reluctance to devote direct federal funding to Flint while Michigan’s response to the water crisis is ongoing.
It is uncertain whether the full House will vote on the budget resolution, but appropriators are expected soon to begin crafting FY17 spending bills based on the topline $1.07 trillion discretionary limit.