Hill Heat

Appropriations bills are usually on the House floor by June, but they are even further behind schedule this year. It has been years since lawmakers passed most appropriations bills individually. Last year, lawmakers lumped all the domestic spending bills together in one omnibus appropriations measure. Two years ago, they funded federal agencies through a continuing resolution. A CR provides funding for existing federal programs, usually at current or reduced levels.

If Congress opts for a CR this year, it could cause some grief for agencies that sought to boost certain funds. For example, the Bush administration made the largest budget request to date for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 2009, asking for $4.1 billion, a 5 percent increase over last year. NOAA is part of the Commerce, Justice, Science spending package.

“Unfortunately, if we get a CR in ‘09, it is not going to help agencies, especially NOAA,” said Eric Webster, director of NOAA legislative affairs, during a gathering of oceans advocates on Capitol Hill last week.

The White House budget request would give a boost to fisheries programs, environmental satellites and the National Weather Service.

The program for new weather satellites could be particularly problematic under a CR, since the agency has a schedule to ramp up funding from $250 million up to $860 million over the next three years to pay for new satellites.

“We’re going to go through a little bit of a tough time, the budget must grow significantly to pay for satellites,” Webster said.

The $4.1 billion budget request from NOAA would be a significant boost over the $3.9 billion Congress approved last year. But the sum still falls short of the $4.5 billion that environmental and industry groups have sought for the agency.