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Monday, December 20, 2010

Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations

Garrett Hatch, Coordinator
Analyst in American National Government

The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 26 independent agencies. Among the independent agencies funded by the bill are the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the United States Postal Service (USPS).

The FSGG FY2010 appropriations were provided through P.L. 111-117, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010. P.L. 111-117 provided $46.265 billion for FSGG agencies in FY2010. In addition, P.L. 111-80 provided an additional $169 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)—which is under the jurisdiction of the FSGG Subcommittee in the Senate but not in the House—for a total of $46.434 billion for FSGG agencies in FY2010.

On February 1, 2010, President Obama issued his FY2011 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) budget request for $48.219 billion, an increase of $1.785 billion over FY2010 appropriations. On July 29, 2010, Senator Durbin introduced, and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, S. 3677, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2011. S. 3677 would provide $48.296 billion for FY2011, an increase of $1.861 billion above FY2010 appropriations. No further action has been taken in the Senate. Also on July 29, 2010, the House Appropriations FSGG Subcommittee marked up a draft appropriations bill, but the draft has neither been reported to the full committee nor made public.

On September 30, 2010, President Obama signed P.L. 111-242, a continuing resolution that provides funding for federal agencies from October 1 to December 3, 2010, generally at FY2010 levels. On December 4, 2010, President Obama signed another continuing resolution (H.J.Res. 101) that delayed the expiration of P.L. 111-242 until December 18, 2010.

The wide scope of FSGG appropriations—which provide funding for two of the three branches of the federal government, a city government, and 26 independent agencies—encompasses a number of potentially controversial issues, some of which are identified below.
  • Department of the Treasury. Are the funding and strategy for taxpayer services, enforcement, and the business systems modernization program under the proposed budget for the IRS likely to result in a significant improvement in taxpayer compliance in the next year or two? 
  • Executive Office of the President. Should Congress approve the President’s requests for (1) an increased appropriation for the combined National Security Council and Homeland Security Council to fund the expanded mission of both councils, and (2) $50 million for a new information technology related account to be appropriated to the EOP and administered by OMB?
  • The Judiciary. What level of funding should Congress provide for judicial security enhancements and other administrative issues, such as hiring of additional staff to meet the demands of rising workloads, including increases in bankruptcy filings and criminal cases? 
  • United States Postal Service. In light of USPS’s financial challenges, should Congress consider removing the six-day delivery requirement that has appeared in annual appropriations laws?
Date of Report: December 6, 2010
Number of Pages: 70
Order Number: R41340
Price: $29.95

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