1625 ; P.L. 115-141 , signed March 23, 2018), which provided FY2018 funding through September 30, 2018. Division K of the act―State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS)―provided a total of $54.18 billion, including Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds and rescissions. This represented a decrease of 6.1% from the FY2017 actual funding level. Of the total, $16.22 billion (excluding rescissions) was for the Department of State, international broadcasting, and related agencies, 10.7% below FY2017 levels, and $37.99 billion (excluding rescissions) was enacted for foreign operations, 4% below the FY2017 funding level. The SFOPS total requested for FY2018 (including Overseas Contingency Operations funds, otherwise known as OCO) was $40.25 billion, 30% below the enacted FY2017 SFOPS funding level of $57.53 billion. For Foreign Operations, the FY2018 request was $27.05 billion, 31% below the FY2017 enacted level of $39.44 billion. The SFOPS FY2018 request sought a total of $12.0 billion in OCO funds for FY2018, representing a 42% reduction compared with the FY2017 enacted OCO level. The Administration's broader FY2018 request to fund the government as a whole would have breached defense discretionary spending caps but not the caps for nondefense (that includes SFOPS) required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA, P.L. 112-25 ). Congressional Action

On September 7 and 8, 2017, the Senate and House respectively passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018, and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 ( H.R. 601 ; P.L. 115-56 ). As signed by the President on September 8, 2017, the act provided continuous government funding (continuing resolution, or CR) at the FY2017 level, reduced by 0.6791%, through December 8, 2017. On September 7, 2017, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported its State, Foreign Operations, 2018 bill ( S. 1780 ), with a total of $51.35 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for FY2018 ($6.2 billion more than the FY2018 request), including $20.79 billion for OCO (the same as FY2017 enacted). As compared with the request and the House bill, the Senate bill included 42% more OCO funds. The Senate SFOPS total funding level was $11.1 billion (22%) more than the Administration request and $3.8 billion (7%) more than the House bill. On July 24, 2017, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. While the bill would have provided $7.3 billion more than the President's request, it represented a $10 billion (17%) decline compared with FY2017 total enacted. Compared with the Senate bill, the House funding levels would have been $3.8 billion (7%) less. On September 14, 2017, the House approved a consolidated appropriations bill for FY2018, H.R. 3354 , which incorporated the text of H.R. On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA, H.R. 1892 ; P.L. 115-123 ), which continued government funding through March 23, 2018; raised both defense and nondefense discretionary spending limits for FY2018 and FY2019; and extended direct spending reductions through FY2027. The act eased the FY2018 budget process and prevented a breach of the BCA spending limits by raising the overall revised discretionary spending limits from $1.069 trillion for FY2017 to $1.208 trillion for FY2018. It raised the defense cap by $80 billion to $629 billion and the nondefense cap (including SFOPS) by $63 billion to $579 billion for FY2018. On March 23, 2018, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 ( H.R. FY2018 Budget Request for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS)

The Trump Administration's FY2018 budget request reflected a departure from past Administration budget proposals for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS). About 27% of the State Department and Related Agency funding would have been designated for OCO. 3362 . They included consolidating some bilateral foreign assistance programs, eliminating some programs/entities, and zeroing out funding for the P.L. Other . 480. International Affairs Budget
The International Affairs budget, or Function 150, includes funding that is not in the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriation: foreign food aid programs (P.L.
Nearly six months after the start of FY2018, the 115th Congress enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (H.R. 1625; P.L. 115-141, signed March 23, 2018), which provided FY2018 funding for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS). Division K of the act―State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS)― provided a total of $54.18 billion, including Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds and rescissions. This represented a decrease of 6.1% from the FY2017 actual funding level. Of the total, $16.22 billion (not including rescissions) was for the Department of State, international broadcasting, and related agencies, a reduction of 10.7% as compared with FY2017 levels, and $37.99 billion (not including rescissions) was enacted for foreign operations, 4% below the FY2017 funding level.
President Donald J. Trump submitted his FY2018 budget request to Congress on May 23, 2017. The request sought $40.25 billion (-30% compared with FY2017 enacted) for SFOPS, including Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds. Of this total, $13.20 billion (-27% compared with FY2017 enacted) would have been for Department of State Operations and related programs. For Foreign Operations, the FY2018 request included $27.05 billion (-31% compared with FY2017 enacted). The total OCO funds in the request amounted to $12.02 billion (-42% below FY2017 enacted, including the FY2017 supplemental; excluding the supplemental, it would have been -21%). The OCO designation has the important feature of not counting against the discretionary spending limits imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).
Prominent issues in the SFOPS request included, among others, reductions in annual appropriations for diplomatic security, contributions to international organizations and international peacekeeping, and educational and cultural exchange programs; a proposal to consolidate several bilateral foreign aid programs into one new account called the Economic Support and Development Fund (ESDF); proposed elimination of some foreign operations entities, such as the Trade and Development Agency and the Inter-American Foundation; and a 44% reduction in humanitarian assistance, including a zeroing out of the P.L. 480 (Food for Peace) foreign food aid program.
On July 24, 2017, the House Committee on Appropriations reported H.R. 3362, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2018. The bill would have provided $47.5 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for FY2018, including $12.02 billion for OCO (the same as requested). The text of H.R. 3362 was later incorporated into a consolidated spending bill, H.R. 3354, which passed the House on September 14, 2017. The total House funding level reflected a $7.3 billion (+18%) increase over the Administration request.
On September 7, 2017, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported S. 1780 with a total of $51.35 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for FY2018, including $20.79 billion (the same as the FY2017 enacted level) for OCO. This bill would have provided 42% more OCO funds than either the request or the House bill. The Senate SFOPS total funding level was $11.1 billion (22%) more than the Administration request and $3.8 billion (7%) more than the House bill.
On September 7 and 8, 2017, the Senate and House respectively passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018, and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 (H.R. 601; P.L. 115-56). As signed by the President on September 8, 2017, the act provided government funding (a continuing resolution, or CR) at the FY2017 rate, reduced by 0.6791%, through December 8, 2017. Subsequent CRs amended that date first to December 22, 2017, then to January 19, 2018, and then February 8, 2018.
On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA, H.R. 1892; P.L. 115-123), which continued government funding through March 23, 2018; raised discretionary spending limits for FY2018 and FY2019; and extended direct spending reductions through FY2027. The act eased the FY2018 budget process and prevented a breach of the BCA spending limits by raising the overall revised discretionary spending limit from $1.069 trillion for FY2017 to $1.208 trillion for FY2018. It raised the defense cap by $80 billion to $629 billion and the nondefense cap (including SFOPS) by $63 billion to $579 billion for FY2018. (For more detail on defense FY2018 budget issues, see CRS Report R44866, FY2018 Defense Budget Request: The Basics.)
This is the final update of this report.