WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee, released a statement on Thursday after the Appropriations Committee passed the FY2018 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. The bill provides critical increases for the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office, the United States Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol, and cybersecurity initiatives in the Senate.

Specifically, the bill provides $3.171 billion in discretionary budget authority, excluding items pertaining solely to the House, which total an additional $1.319 billion. Total funding accommodated in the bill is $4.490 billion, which is $50 million more than the FY2017 enacted level and $192 million less than budget request. Senate Appropriations Committee Republicans rejected an amendment offered by Murphy that would have increased funding and improved Congressional oversight. 

Murphy said, “This bill makes sure important agencies, like the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office, can do their job. It also makes new critical investments in physical security and cybersecurity. However, funding in the bill is still far below the level needed to make up for years of stagnant budgets. This bill is a step forward, but we need a bipartisan budget deal that does more to support effective oversight over Congress and the Executive Branch and to make meaningful progress on the backlog of building safety projects."

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said, “I want to thank Chairman Lankford and Ranking Member Murphy for their work on this bill, which supports Congress’ oversight responsibility and the men and women of the Capitol Police. I am especially glad that this bill will make Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports available to the public, something I have long supported. These reports are tax payer funded and provide valuable information that should be made available to citizens, schools and libraries across the country. However, constrained by the irresponsible budget caps put in place by the Budget Control Act, this bill is still inadequate. We can do more, and we must reach a bipartisan budget agreement before this process is completed.” 

Key Points & Highlights of the Bill:

Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Congressional Budget Office provides the objective, timely and non-partisan analyses needed to inform Congress’s economic and budgetary deliberations. The bill provides $48.1 million for CBO, $1.6 million more than fiscal year 2017 enacted level to continue providing high-quality analyses that are greatly valued by Congress and the public. Additional funding will support four additional staff to support healthcare analysis, economic analysis, and budgetary scorekeeping given increasing demands on the agency.

Government Accountability Office (GAO). As Congress’ independent and nonpartisan “watchdog,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits and evaluates federal agencies to improve government efficiency and effectiveness and root out waste, fraud and abuse. The bill provides $562.8 million for GAO, $18.3 million more than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level. Funding provided will maintain current staffing levels, but it will not add additional audit and investigative capacity as requested by GAO. 

Physical Security. The United States Capitol Police provide security and law enforcement for the Capitol complex and protection for Members of Congress. The bill provides $422.5 million for the United States Capitol Police, $29.2 million more than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level. This funding will allow the Capitol Police to deploy approximately 120 more officers in accordance with the budget request. Additional funding is provided in the bill to address concerns related to security for Members of Congress following the shooting earlier this year in Alexandria, Va. This funding will support enhanced threat analysis and intelligence capabilities as well as additional law enforcement equipment. 

Cybersecurity. Providing state-of-the-art cybersecurity for Senate networks and equipment is critical to block state-sponsored attacks, prevent insider threats and ensure the privacy of deliberations and communications involved in the legislative process. The bill provides $208.6 million for the Senate Sergeant At Arms, $11.2 million more than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level. This additional funding is allocated for investments in cybersecurity capabilities to protect Senate networks and Senators’ Personal Office systems and to provide additional cybersecurity training to Senators and their staff. In addition, an increase in funding is provided to support a 1 percent increase for each Senators’ office allocation in acknowledgement of increasing costs related to providing cybersecurity to Senators’ offices.

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