Legislative agencies feel pinch in final FY12 appropriations bill

Government agencies will have to tighten their belts even further in the coming year, due to steep cuts outlined in the final fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill.

According to documents released by House leadership Thursday, the legislative branch will receive $4.3 billion, a 5.2 percent cut from last year’s funding levels.

{mosads}Lawmakers’ offices will feel the pinch under the pending legislation. At $1.2 billion, House operations saw a decrease of $85.7 million from the previous year. In total, the House has seen a reduction of more than 10 percent since the beginning of the new Republican majority this year.

Lawmakers were already reeling from a 5 percent cut to committees in January and an additional 6.4 percent cut to leadership, committee and personal office budgets the House approved in the FY12 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill in July.

In November, the chairmen and ranking members of nearly 20 House committees testified before the Committee on House Administration that implementing such steep cuts had proven difficult and could lead to staff layoffs.

The Government Accountability Office fared little better in the final FY12 appropriations bill. The agency was allotted $511 million for FY12, a $35 million reduction from the previous year and $45 million less than their budget request.

“This funding level will continue GAO’s essential oversight work to provide Congress with an accurate reporting of the use of taxpayer dollars, while cutting spending in lower priority activities such as additional hiring, travel, and support contracts,” the leadership claimed in budget documents.

The Library of Congress will also have to tighten its belt. It was allotted $587 million, a small bump up from the $579 million recommended in the Senate’s draft FY12 appropriations bill.

But it is still $79 million less than the agency’s request, and might not prove enough to avoid potential employee shake-ups. The LOC had already begun implementation of a voluntary separation program, but predicted it would not be able to absorb all budget cuts proposed by the Senate through the voluntary program.

Instead, it would “need to pursue additional cost-reduction measures, including furloughs and the possibility of [reductions in force],” according to draft Senate documents.

The Government Printing Office was allocated $126 million in the FY12 appropriations bill, a small step up from the $117 proposed by the Senate. But again, it’s still a far cry from the $148 million the agency requested for the fiscal year.

{mossecondads}Capitol Police was one of the few agencies relatively immune from funding cuts in the appropriations legislation. The department will maintain its funding level from the previous year of $340 million, due in part to the need for greater congressional security in the wake of January’s shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

“The bill will support 1,775 sworn officers and 370 civilian positions, providing critical safety and security functions for all Members, staff, and visitors of the Capitol Complex,” leadership stated in budget documents.

The surprising “winner” in the budget sweepstakes was the Architect of the Capitol, which was allotted $567 million for FY12. That’s a big jump from the $489 million recommended by the House and $387 million suggested by the Senate.

But even the significant windfall is still $138 million less than the AOC’s request for the year.

The AOC has repeatedly declined to comment on what effects such funding cuts would have on the agency. According to budget documents, “priority is given to [AOC] projects that protect and promote the safety and health of staff and visitors.”