3 Review(s)

The FY2008 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill (H.R. 2829) includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 20 independent agencies. Among the independent agencies funded by the bill are the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the United States Postal Service (USPS). On June 28, 2007, the House approved $43.8 billion for the FSGG bill, a $3.1 billion increase over FY2007 enacted funding and $101 million above the President's FY2008 request. Discretionary spending in the House bill totalled $21.4 billion, a decrease of $245 million from the President's request, but $1.9 billion more than was enacted in FY2007. The Senate appropriations FSGG subcommittee marked up its version of the bill July 10, and the full committee reported it July 12. The Senate bill recommended $44.2 billion in appropriations, a $3.4 billion increase over FY2007 enacted funding and $414 million above the President's FY2008 request. Discretionary spending in the Senate bill totaled $21.8 billion, approximately $20 million above the President's request and $2.3 billion more than was enacted in FY2007. The Senate took no further action on H.R. 2829. The agencies included in the FSGG appropriations bill were funded from the start of the 2007 fiscal year until December 31, 2007, by a series of continuing resolutions. Under the continuing resolutions, FSGG agencies were generally funded at FY2007 rates, although the District of Columbia had special funding provisions. FSGG appropriations were ultimately included in an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2764), which was approved by the Senate on December 18 and by the House on December 19. The omnibus bill provided a total of $43.3 billion for FSGG agencies, $2.6 billion more than enacted in FY2007, but $421 million less than requested by the President. Compared with H.R. 2829, the omnibus provided $583 million less than the amount approved by the House, and $829 million less than the amount approved by the Senate. Discretionary spending in the omnibus totalled $20.6 billion, which was $1.1 billion more than enacted in FY2007, but $1.1 billion less than the amount requested by the President. Compared with H.R. 2829, discretionary funding in the omnibus was $1.1 billion below the amount approved by the Senate, and $833 million less than the amount approved by the House.