Results of FY 1997 Appropriations Process

In a race to the wire, the final FY 1997 appropriations were passed by Congress less than 24 hours before the new fiscal year began on October 1. A total of 7 out of the 13 appropriations bills had already been passed individually, including the Energy and Water Development bill, which supports most of the science programs of the Department of Energy, and the VA/HUD/Independent Agencies bill, which funds NSF and NASA. The remaining departments, agencies, and programs were bundled together in an omnibus funding package that was added on to the DOD appropriations bill (H.R. 3610.) In a rush to adjourn and begin campaigning, Members of Congress relented on many of the increases desired by President Clinton. For selected programs, it might be instructive to look at how much of the Administration’s budget request for FY 1997 was actually provided by Congress. Below are a number of physics-related programs, as well as a few non-physics programs for perspective, and the percent of the President’s request that they received in appropriations.