Appropriations for FY2004: Transportation, Treasury, Postal Service, Executive Office of the President, General Government, and Related Agencies (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised March 1, 2004 |
| Report Number |
RL31808 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
David Randall Peterman and John F. Frittelli, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
For FY2004 Congress began providing, in a single bill, appropriations for the Departments of
Transportation and the Treasury, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the
President, and Related Agencies, as well as General Government provisions.
On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004
( H.R. 2673 ; P.L. 108-199 ), which included the conference version of the FY2004
Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill. On September 9, 2003, the
House passed H.R. 2989 , the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury and Independent
Agencies Appropriations bill, which provided $85.8 billion. The major financial change from the
Administration's request was to recommend an additional $4.4 billion in highway spending (another
major change, the deletion of the $3.4 billion for grants-in-aid to airports, was a procedural change;
funding may be restored in conference). On October 23, the Senate passed its version of the bill,
which provided $91.0 billion, adding $4.5 billion in highway funding to the Administration's
request. Conferees agreed on $89.8 billion on November 25th. The conference version of the bill
was added to the Consolidated Appropriations bill, which the House passed on December 8, 2003.
The Senate adjourned for the year without voting on the bill; they approved the bill on January 22,
2004. The Consolidated Appropriations Act contains a 0.59% across-the-board rescission; the
figures in this report do not reflect the impact of that rescission. They also do not reflect the $55
million in transportation projects and $1 billion for election reform grants projects located in the
"Miscellaneous Appropriations" Division at the end of the Act.
Prior to passage of P.L. 108-199 , FY2004 funding for agencies and programs in the
Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies appropriations bill was provided, at FY2003
levels, through January 31, 2004 by a series of continuing resolutions.
Key issues in the FY2004 appropriations bill included: pay for federal civilian employees (the
White House proposed a 2% raise; the bill provides a 4.1% raise for federal civilian employees, in
line with the military pay raise); outsourcing of federal work (the bill restricts the Administration's
plan to increase outsourcing, but the broader restrictions contained in both House and Senate bills
were dropped due to veto threats); "cash balance" pension plans (the bill prohibits the Treasury
Department from finalizing rules affecting conversion of traditional pension plans to cash balance
basis); and Cuba (the conference bill omitted provisions contained in both House and Senate bills
that constrained enforcement of travel restrictions to Cuba). This report will not be updated.
