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CRS Insights

FY2014 Supplemental Appropriations Request
William L. Painter, Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy (wpainter@crs.loc.gov, 7-3335)
July 10, 2014 (IN10100)

On July 8, 2014, the Administration requested $4,346,000,000 in FY2014 supplemental appropriations to address two issues: the surge in unaccompanied and escorted children illegally crossing the southwest border, and a shortfall in federal funding to pay the costs of wildfires. The appropriations were requested as emergency funding, meaning they would not count against the discretionary budget caps for FY2014.

 

Figure 1. FY2014 Supplemental Appropriations Request

(discretionary budget authority, designated as emergency funding)

Source: CRS analysis of the Administration's FY2014 Supplemental Appropriations Request.

Immigration and Border Security

The Administration requested $3,730,955,000 (86% of the total) for immigration and border security issues to be distributed among four departments. The request included a general provision allowing up to $250,000,000 of this amount to be transferred among applicable appropriations, which would give the Administration additional flexibility in how these funds may be used.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

$64,000,000 (1% of the total) was requested for two functions:

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

$1,103,995,000 (25%) was requested for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) salaries and expenses, including the following:

$432,960,000 (10%) was requested for two Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accounts:

The Administration also requested expanded transfer authority for supplemental funds appropriated to DHS, in addition to the broader transfer authority mentioned above.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

$1,830,000,000 (42%) was requested for Refugee and Entrant Assistance, specifically for care of unaccompanied children. According to the Administration, these funds would enable HHS to expand its capacity while implementing more stable, cost-effective care arrangements, and provide medical response for unaccompanied children at Border Patrol facilities. The Administration's proposal would also give the Secretary of HHS permanent authority to accept donations aimed at helping meet the needs of unaccompanied children.

Department of State (DOS)

$300,000,000 (7%) was requested for DOS:

For additional context on this issue see

Wildfire

The Administration's request included $615,000,000 (14%) to cover wildfire suppression and emergency rehabilitation activities.

It also included legislative text that would implement a proposal from the Administration's FY2015 budget request to carve out a new set-aside for wildland fire costs from the allowable adjustment for disaster relief under existing budget control laws.

For additional context on this issue, see

Common Questions

Does this request have unrelated spending items?

Supplemental appropriations requests often deal with multiple topics. While a supplemental appropriations proposal may gain a colloquial title for ease of identification, it is not unusual for such legislation to deal with a range of needs identified by the White House and/or Congress. This particular request focuses on two issues: dealing with the situation at the southwest border through a number of mechanisms, and addressing the shortfall in wildfire suppression and emergency restoration work. This may change.

Does this supplemental appropriations bill need to be offset?

The Administration requested the supplemental funding be designated as an emergency under the budget control laws. Therefore, it would not count against the discretionary spending caps for FY2014, and an offset would not be needed to avoid violating those caps. However, some Members of Congress support offsetting supplemental appropriations to avoid increasing the deficit.

Does this take the place of the Administration's requests from late May 2014?

No. The supplemental request was for FY2014—the current fiscal year—while the May 2014 letter to appropriators pertained to FY2015.