The House Appropriations Committee approved Wednesday its fiscal 2018 State Department funding bill, which would cut overall agency funding while making more modest changes to the accounts related to arms control and international security.
The bill in total provides $47.4 billion for the State Department in discretionary and Overseas Contingency Operations funding – $10 billion less than the currently enacted funding level but almost $10 billion more than the Donald Trump administration’s proposal.
It was approved by voice vote, including a few amendments unrelated to the department’s arms control work, and will next be taken up by the full House. Senate appropriators have not yet released their version of the bill.
The legislation provides $5.4 billion for diplomatic and consular programs – a reduction from the current $6.1 billion – which includes the diplomatic policy and support account that covers the department’s arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament activities. This account would receive $740.1 million, down from $757.7 million in the present budget year.
Work under this account includes U.S. participation in arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament negotiations, as well as related verification and compliance activities.
The bill also provides $617.9 million for nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining, and related programs, up from its current $500.7 million, which includes the United States’ contributions to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The United States provides nearly $200 million each year in total assistance (half of it voluntary) to the IAEA, the United Nations organization that coordinates global nuclear security activities, and $32 million each year to the CTBTO, which maintains the International Monitoring System to detect explosive nuclear testing.
The administration this year proposed a $91.9 million voluntary contribution to the IAEA and $31 million for the CTBTO.
The House of Representatives last week passed its version of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which included an amendment from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) that would prohibit funding for the CTBTO, except for funds that go toward the International Monitoring System. The matter will ultimately need to be reconciled with the Senate once it marks up its own version of the bill.
