Fiscal Year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill Approved by Committee

Press Release

The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill on a bipartisan voice vote. The bill funds the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other related agencies. The legislation will now head to the House floor for consideration.

The legislation contains $51.2 billion in total discretionary funding. This is a reduction of $398 million below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. Within the bill, funding for law enforcement, national security, public safety initiatives, and programs with economic benefit to the nation are prioritized, while lower-priority programs are reduced.

"This bill is a truly comprehensive piece of legislation. It supports American innovation and economic development, and preserves the safety and security needed for our nation to prosper. We have also made sure this funding is provided in a responsible and rational way, combing through every line of the budgets for these agencies, rooting out waste and duplication, and trimming unnecessary spending to produce a lean, efficient and effective bill that comes in nearly $400 million below last year," Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers said.

"The bill includes several reductions from lower-priority programs, but also restores damaging cuts to federal law enforcement and NASA that were proposed in the President's request," CJS Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf said. "We have focused limited resources on the most critical areas: fighting crime and terrorism, including cyber-attacks; improving weather forecasts and warnings; and boosting U.S. competitiveness and job creation by investing in science, space, exports and manufacturing."

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