	Introduction

This report tracks and provides an overview of actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2016 appropriations for trade-related agencies under the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations process. It also provides an overview of the enacted FY2015 appropriations for the International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), and the Office of the United States Representative (USTR), as a part of the annual appropriation for CJS. FY2015 and FY2016 Appropriations for Trade-Related Agencies

On December 16, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. 113-235 ). For the three trade-related agencies, the Administration requested $684.6 million for FY2016, an increase of 13.9% over the FY2015 amount. The House recommended $597.8 million for the three CJS trade-related agencies for FY2016, an amount 12.7% less than the Administration's request and 0.5% less than the enacted amount for FY2015. The Senate committee-reported bill recommended $601.8 million for the three CJS trade-related agencies, an amount 0.2% greater than the FY2015 enacted amount, 12.1% less than the Administration's FY2016 request, and 0.7% greater than the House-passed amount. On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( P.L. 114-113 ). Division B of the act (the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016) provides $626.0 million for the three CJS trade-related agencies, an amount 4.2% greater than the FY2015 appropriation, but 8.6% less than the Administration's request. The FY2016 appropriation for ITA is $483.0 million, with an additional $10.0 million in user fees, for a total of $493 million in available funds. USITC received $84.5 million for FY2015. The Senate committee-reported bill recommended $54.3 million for USTR, an amount equal to the FY2015 enacted amount and the House recommended amount for USTR. The Senate Committee on Appropriations recommended that USTR be consolidated into the Department of Commerce and that USTR funding be moved under the Department of Commerce heading. Overview of Issues

Issues that Congress may have considered while debating the FY2016 funding levels for the three CJS trade-related agencies may have included the following:
Whether to approve a one-time 55.6% increase in funding for USITC for costs associated with securing office space for the agency following the expiration of its current lease in August 2017.
This report tracks and describes actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2016 appropriations for the International Trade Administration (ITA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). These three trade-related agencies are part of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations process. The report also provides an overview of three trade-related programs that are administered by ITA, USITC, and USTR.
The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) provided a total of $600.8 million for the three agencies, including $462.0 million for ITA, $84.5 million for USITC, and $54.3 million for USTR. For FY2016, the Administration requested $684.6 million for FY2016 for the three agencies, an amount 13.9% greater than what Congress appropriated for FY2015. The request included a one-time increase of $83.8 million (55.6%) in funding for USITC for costs associated with securing space for the agency following the expiration of its current lease in August 2017.
The House passed the FY2016 CJS appropriations bill (H.R. 2578) on June 3, 2015. The House-passed bill included $597.8 million for CJS trade-related agencies, an amount 0.5% less than the FY2015 enacted amount and 12.7% less than the Administration's FY2016 request. The Senate Committee on Appropriations approved its FY2016 CJS appropriations bill, which was offered as an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2578, on June 16, 2015. The Senate committee-reported bill recommended $601.8 million for the three CJS trade-related agencies, an amount 0.2% greater than the FY2015 enacted amount, 12.1% less than the Administration's FY2016 request, and 0.7% greater than the House-passed amount. The Senate Committee on Appropriations recommended that USTR be consolidated into the Department of Commerce and that funding for this agency be moved to the Department of Commerce heading.
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113). Division B of the act provides $483.0 million for ITA, $88.5 for USITC, and $54.5 million for USTR. The FY2016 appropriation for the three CJS trade-related agencies is $626.0 million, an amount 4.2% greater than the FY2015 appropriation, but 8.6% less than the Administration's request.